Milan, 1492: When a 16-year old beauty becomes the mistress of the Duke of Milan, she must fight for her place in the palace. Soon, she finds herself sitting before Leonardo da Vinci, who wants to ensure his own position in the ducal palace by immortalizing her in his Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine. Laura Morelli's dual-timeline novel shifts to World War II Munich, where conservator Edith Becker places a priceless Italian Renaissance portrait into the hands of a high-ranking Nazi leader. Recognizing her mistake, Edith risks her life to recover it, working with an American soldier from the famed Monuments Men team.