Artwork stolen by the Nazis, a multi-million dollar forgery ring, a missing Medici diary and the kidnapping of a beautiful Jewish graduate student surface when art professor Porter Blue takes a sabbatical to Florence, Italy. In 1962, a remarkable discovery is made in the bowels of the Church of Santo Spirito: a box containing four diaries from the hand of Contessina de' Medici, the youngest daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici, one of the most powerful men in Renaissance Italy. Numbered 1, 2, 3 and 5, the story of the missing fourth diary inspires Blue to craft an historical novel around a speculated romance between Contessina and the young Michelangelo. Blue convinces Largo Kopacz, a graduate student and new-found love interest, to join him for the week of spring break. Theo Volmer, charismatic Uffizi director and son of a Nazi SS officer, is known for having returned artworks originally stolen by his father to their rightful owners. During a dinner party at Volmer's home, Largo stumbles upon a private gallery and a painting remarkably like one stolen from her own great-grandparents. Before Blue and Largo can act upon the discovery, Largo is kidnapped from a tour bus, Blue seeks help from a Scotland Yard agent in Florence investigating an art forgery and Volmer's home goes up in flames.