In Rome, in 1979, a shy young Englishwoman called Julia meets Ennio. The two fall deeply in love, but theirs will be a troubled affair, shrouded in secrecy and constantly under threat. For Italy in 1979 is a country of violent radical politics: a dangerous, heady time, filled with bitter hope and fear. And Ennio is one of the most wanted men in Italy, a member of the notorious terrorist group, Sinistra Armata.

Twenty years on, their daughter Lotte, brought up by a grandmother in London, knows nothing of her parents' love affair or the shocking events leading up to her birth. But on discovering the truth, she journeys to Italy to reclaim her past - only to find her mother's story haunting her more forcefully that she could have believed.

Haunting, evocative and moving, The Sunlit Stage is a breathtaking novel about love and self-discovery.