Venice, at the height of Carnevale. Behind the glittering masks and dazzling palaces, something new is stirring—opera, with its soaring voices and spellbinding costumes, reshaping art and captivating audiences for the first time.
But beneath the beauty lies danger. Espionage, crime, and murder stalk the canals, threatening to silence the city’s newest marvel before it can take flight. Into this world steps Richard Hughes, a swordsman seeking peace. Instead, he’s drawn into intrigue alongside Phillip de Chambray, a woman forced to conceal her true identity even as her brilliance shines.
When powerful enemies move to destroy both the opera and the city itself, Richard and Phillip must navigate Venice’s darkest alleys and brightest stages in a fight for survival, truth, and freedom.