A world of passion, wealth and influence from the author of The Herzberg Trilogy and The Lute Player. "Sunday the 22nd of August 1875. I saw today an enchanting young woman on the river, bathed in golden sunlight. I cannot remove her from my mind..." So begins the obsession of a man of wealth and influence, its darkening shadow spreading from southern France to Paris, to Cochinchina and Spain, altering lives. For some it will be fatal; some will find freedom. A former detective, a society beauty, an imperial concubine, a painter, as well as the girl herself, are each subject to its thrall - and all have passions of their own. Victim or agent? Guilty or innocent? You decide.