In 1858, Eleonora was born into a family of strolling players descended from Luigi Duse, the first actor to remove the commedia dell‘arte mask and use his natural face to portray a character named Giacometto. Although Eleonora began touring at age four, she discovered her love for acting at 14 when she played Juliet in Verona, the town where her parents met. In this play, she confronts her triumphs, regrets, and mortality as she's pestered by the famous artists she's known.