Florence, with its crumbling frescoes and secretive charm, is a city of passion—and preservation.
Margot Harrington, a 29-year-old American book conservator, has come to restore a convent’s flood-damaged library. But when she uncovers a rare 16th-century erotic manuscript—banned by the Vatican and long thought destroyed—she’s pulled into a delicate scheme: sell it to save the convent, without alerting the bishop.
At the same time, Margot becomes entangled with a married art historian working to preserve Italy’s vanishing masterpieces. Their bond, both intellectual and illicit, deepens into a sensual awakening that blurs the line between sacred and profane.
Set against the richly textured backdrop of Florence, this “elegantly moving” novel (New Yorker) explores art, desire, and the quiet rebellion of a woman daring to live for both.
