A novel of manipulation, greed and revenge - the incredible story behind the wealth and beauty of Venice. Venice 1201 AD The body of a French spy floats down the canal, his throat slit, as his masters prepare for a journey that will determine their destiny, in this life and the next. Having answered the pope's call to take back the Holy Land, they are forced to negotiate with the aged Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, who agrees to build them the largest fleet since the days of the Roman Empire, but it's only when the French Crusaders are at their most vulnerable that the doge starts to reveal his true intentions. To the east, the deposed Byzantine emperor rots in a prison cell as his son conspires with the queen of Germany to take back the throne. As the Latin and Byzantine empires head on a collision course, their leaders abuse power, religion and each other, but it's a Spanish monk's rediscovery of ancient knowledge that may prove decisive. Join Venetian agent, Achille, as he navigates us on a journey of deceit and treachery from the laneways of Venice to the trade routes of the Silk Road and the impregnable walls of Constantinople.