1475 - Milan, Italy The wealthy and powerful noble families of Milan are in an uproar, seething at the behavior of the cunning, unscrupulous Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza. The duke seduces and assaults their daughters and richly rewards his court musicians at the expense of these noble families. Assassination talk swells into a tidal wave of fury. Into this maelstrom strides a young English musician, filled with his own ambitions, hopes, and dreams. Will he become a pawn to the duke's deviousness? Can he avoid being trapped by the plots to end the duke's life? What part does he play in the efforts of the duke's brothers to achieve their place in the sun? What of the beautiful Cecilia Gallerani, the beloved of the young Englishman--and the object of Duke Galeazzo's obsessive desires. The novel features one of the most beautiful, accomplished and fascinating women of the Italian Renaissance, Cecilia Gallerani, whose portrait was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1489. Without her, none of the men in the novel would have accomplished anything at all."--Cover.