November, 1938It began in Vienna, after a night of fire and fear. Stella Bled Lawrence made a promise and she kept it. But the job isn't done. Abel Hershmann's cousins, unaware of the danger, are heading to Venice in search of him and the family secret he carried. Stella and her husband, Nicky, follow, intent on warning them.
But things don't go to plan. Venice is flooded, Stella aggravates her injuries, and the cousins are no where to be found. Suspicions abound and friends are hard to find. Italy has fallen under Hitler's spell and nothing is as it was. The Nazis and, in particular, SS Oberführer Peiper still want their prize and believe Stella and Nicky have it. Stella will have to decide how far her loyalty goes and where she belongs: far away safe from the gathering storm or on the front lines with a chance to change the course of the coming war. Her choices will affect her family's future for generations to come.