An ambitious, richly evocative story of love, art, religion, and power set in Renaissance Florence. As politics and ambition roil in the city, young Alessandra finds that she must exchange her passion for art for a husband who cares nothing about her or her interests. But she finds a way – through her friendship with a young painter. "Heady, sensual... [her] elegant, musical prose and finely wrought characters afford great pleasure."—San Francisco Chronicle