Gina Donovan arrives in Florence to stay with an old friend. She is hoping for nothing more than a break from her demanding young family but as she soon discovers this most ancient and beautiful of cities has its dark side. Within hours of her arrival Gina meets the elegant Frances Richardson who invites her to a party - the highlight of the expatriate calendar. However as Gina's week in Florence unfolds and the party draws near a terrible discovery is made. And no one in this close-knit community of locals and exiles from the aristocrats and antiquedealers to the café-owners and pimps is free of suspicion...