Late 18th Century. The palace of Capa Guasta reflects its granite face onto the abyss of the sea. Behind it, dense vegetation keeps unwanted guests at bay. This is the residence of Marquis Saverio, a capricious and wealthy nobleman who has spent his life trying to escape the affliction that has driven almost all his ancestors mad. His small fiefdom is ruled by Lauretana, a sorceress he encountered during a journey. It was she who convinced him that the only way to elude the disease was to isolate himself and unite only with virgins. For this reason, the estate is renowned for its generous welcome of young women from distant lands.
Altagracia Valiago, a stunning gypsy with dark eyes, flees from a violent husband and arrives at Saverio’s court with forged documents, securing the asylum she so desperately seeks. Her presence shatters the fragile equilibrium: the Marquis falls madly in love with her, and Lauretana, seeing her undisputed control threatened, begins to harbor a relentless hatred. Thus, a fierce battle is born: the two women reach into each other’s dowries, trunks brimming with treasures and long-buried secrets.
Patrizia Rinaldi, a master of genre fiction, crafts a historical novel with a fairy-tale allure that teaches how love is an untamable force—one that can dismantle hierarchies of power and plunge entire kingdoms into chaos.