In 1705 Amsterdam, Thea Brandt is coming of age in a secretive family and grappling with her own identity as a woman drawn to an artistic life. With her family in financial decline the pressure is on to marry up in society, but Thea seeks refuge in the arms of her secret lover, Walter, the set-painter at her favorite theater. 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.