Venice, 1643. Isabella, fifteen, longs to sing in Monteverdi's Choir, but only boys (and castrati) can do that. Her singing teacher, Margherita, introduces her to a new wonder: opera Then Isabella finds Margherita murdered. And now people keep trying to kill Margherita's handsome rogue of a son, Rafaele. Was Margherita killed so someone could steal her saffron business? Or was it a disgruntled lover, as Margherita-unbeknownst to Isabella-was one of Venice's wealthiest courtesans? Or will Isabella and Rafaele find the answer deep in Margherita's past, buried in the Jewish Ghetto? Isabella has to solve the mystery of the Saffron Crocus fast, before Rafaele hangs for a murder he didn't commit, though she fears the truth will drive her and the man she loves irrevocably apart.