Set in Classe, (Ravenna in our world), the stravagante is Isabel, a younger twin by a matter of minutes. Her talisman is a piece of silver mosaic and she stravagates to Classe where she is met by Loredana, a successful female merchant who trades spices, silks, tapestries, and whose son is an outcast and a pirate. Isabel finds that Classe and Bellezza are under threat from attack by the fierce Gate people. What can she do to help save the city? This is a thrilling story packed with action, pirates and drama.