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The English Patient is a novel by Michael Ondaatje that follows the lives of four main characters during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The story centers around an unrecognizably burned man, presumed to be English, who is cared for by Hana, a Canadian Army nurse, at the Villa San Girolamo in Italy. The narrative is intertwined with the stories of Kip, a Sikh British Army sapper, and Caravaggio, a Canadian thief. The English patient's past is gradually revealed, including his affair with Katharine Clifton and his involvement in desert expeditions. The novel explores themes of identity, history, and the emotional impacts of war on its characters, creating an unexpected utopia at the villa where national boundaries are transcended.