Set at the dawn of modern Europe, two half brothers, Charles and Guillaume, are born within the same year to mothers from very different social standings; circumstances bring the two boys together as children within one household before splitting them apart again at the age of eleven to pursue separate vocational callings. Charles inherits his mother's ruthlessness, arrogance and ambition. Guillaume takes his mother's softer nature and empathy; both boys inherit a strong sense of justice and honour from their father. Having shown prodigious talent in his home town, Charles arrives in Paris at the age of thirteen and is assigned to the child spy network of Cardinal Richelieu's right hand man Father Joseph. He again stands out and is apprenticed to the financial administration team of the ancient regime where his natural talents put him close to men who would shape the future of France and turn her into the most powerful country in Europe. Guillaume is apprenticed to the Church where he shows a talent for science and healing but is implicated in the last attempt to assassinate Cardinal Richelieu. Arriving in London to share a house with Robert Moray and his niece Anna, he is introduced to the new breed of experimental philosophers and starts to make a name for himself as a chemist. Amidst the chaos of the English civil war and pestilence he becomes politically awakened by the radical thinkers of London. Robert Moray is the super spy of his time and along with his niece links the lives of the two half brothers. Moray's niece Anna steals Guillaume's heart when he arrives in England but she leaves London for Paris where she meets and falls in love with Charles. Charles and Anna prove to be a toxic mix and they develop a secret life in the dark streets of Paris. Amidst the political intrigues of the time, the two boys must use their wits and talents to survive and witness the birth of modern Europe.