April, 1536. Danilo del Medigo arrives incognito in Venice from Istanbul, with two assassins from Suleiman the Magnificent's court hot on his trail. Western civilization is in crisis. Jews and "New Christians" - people whose families had converted from Judaism - are threatened with expulsion, imprisonment, and death. Danilo seeks refuge in the Venetian Ghetto, and promptly falls in love with the beautiful Miriamne Hazan. But soon Danilo is blackmailed into becoming a spy for Venice, which means he must abandon Miriamne in order to save her. The only safe place for him is in plain sight, so he embeds himself with an itinerant group of actors travelling the Italian countryside. With assassins close behind and avalanches along his path, Danilo, together with a cast of libertines, courtesans, and fellow spies, witnesses the agony of the Renaissance: Protestants warring with Catholics, the Inquisition threatening everyone, and the Ottoman Empire poised to invade the heart of Europe. As fear and panic spread throughout the Jewish communities of Italy, a promise of a new lifeline emerges, and Danilo may be the only one who can ensure it. Will Danilo help rescue his fellow Jews, find his father, and be reunited with Miriamne Hazan?
