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At dawn on a late winter’s day, while everyone else in the house is still asleep, Angela Da Mar takes a boat and rows into the shallow waters of the Venetian lagoon. It’s unusual for a girl to be out alone in a small rowing boat, dressed as a boy, but despite her mother’s scoldings, Angela refuses to give up this freedom. Just as she’s about to return, unseen by anyone, her oar hits something floating in the water. A man’s body! Around his neck is a pendant with the emblem of the Byzantine Empire, and Angela immediately understands what this means: misfortune has befallen her family. The year is 828 AD, and the region of Venice is governed by the Doge on behalf of the Byzantines. It is the Doge’s men who burst into the Da Mar family home, accusing them of murder. Angela’s father is immediately arrested, and to avoid the same fate, Angela has no choice but to board a ship bound for the distant East. But the purpose of the voyage is not what the commander claims, and the girl finds herself entangled in a game far larger than herself.