In the elegant yet treacherous world of 17th centuryVenice, young nobleman Orio Soranzo has squandered his fortune and his reputation. Only by marrying the richand beautiful heiress, Giovanna, can he regain both fortune and favour. Soranzo hurls himself into perilous ventures against the Turks -- unaware that his quest for redemption will entangle him in a web of lies, shifting alliances, and dark deeds.As pirates stalk the seas, Giovanna dares to join Orio at the forbidding island fortress he commands. But with the arrival of an old friend, fate unleashes a terriblereckoning none could foresee.Lynne Forest's vivid new translation invites readers to savour one of Sand's most thrilling stories, in thisnewly rediscovered classic.