A Farewell to Arms: Summary Main Characters and Description of Each Lieutenant Fredric Henry (Tenente) -The story is told from his point of view. He is a young American in the Italian army during WWII. Rinaldi -One of Tenente's best friends, he is also a Lieutenant. Catherine Barkley -A nurse who works with a group of British nurses. She and Tenente fall in love later in the story. Setting: The story takes place in the 1940's, during WWII. The place changes along with wherever Tenente goes, because the book is told in first person. The story moves from Italy to Milan, to Udine, to Caporetto, to Montreaux, and many other places and war fronts. What is the major conflict?