In one tragic moment, Celeste Gabriele loses all it has taken a lifetime to create.
Surrounded by political upheaval and personal turmoil in 1497 Florence, she feels betrayed and utterly alone. Can she summon the courage and strength to conquer her demons and find the love she so desperately craves?
Political tensions are high in Florence under the fanatical rule of Prior Girolamo Savonarola, but Celeste is content. She and her husband, Luciano, share a loving marriage, thriving art careers, and five wonderful children.
Her life is happier than she could have imagined, until the day a letter arrives from her brother, Marco, that she never expected to receive. He begs her to hurry to Venice and help him remove their sister, Veronica, from the convent where she's been sequestered for the past ten years. When Celeste agrees, the decision sets off a chain of events that end in tragedy.
Celeste is left to gather the shattered pieces of her life for the sake of her children and forge a path back to the happiness she once possessed.