In 1705 Amsterdam, Thea Brandt is coming of age in a secretive family, grappling with her own identity as a Dutch-African woman. She's drawn to an artistic life, but with her family in financial decline, pressure is on Thea to marry up in society. Meanwhile Thea seeks refuge in the arms of her secret lover, Walter, the set-painter at her favorite theater. But when a miniature figure of Walter turns up on Thea's doorstep, it could be the key to understanding the role that a mysterious artist has played in the Brandt family's lives.