Sicily, 1810. Franco Fiorvanti toils on the estate of a baron. He dreams of owning a lemon grove, but the rigid class system of Sicily thwarts his ambition. When the baron asks him to kidnap a little boy, Franco makes a decision that will change his life-- and the history of Sicily. Gaetano Catalano is an idealistic young lawyer whose devotion to justice is tantamount to a calling. He's a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of aristocrats who investigate crime in Palermo, a city riddled with graft. Gaetano sets out to find the kidnapped boy, but his mission leads him to a darker place than he had ever imagined. Mafalda Pancari is a new mother rejoicing at the birth of her daughter, Lucia, when disaster strikes. Alfredo D'Antonio is a reclusive goatherd under constant threat of being discovered as a Jew. As their lives collide along with a turbulent history of colonization and corruption. - adapted from back cover.