Hers is the most famous portrait in the world. Here, in prose as rich as the high Renaissance, is Mona Lisa's tale: a story of passion, intrigue, loss, and, most of all, love.

Elisabetta longs for romance, though she thinks she is too plain. Then, on a fateful visit to glittering Florence, she catches the eye of the great Leonardo da Vinci, and falls for a boy named Giuliano de' Medici. It is a dangerous time to be involved with a Medici. As tragedy and chaos threaten their happiness, Elisabetta faces the bittersweet truth of love.