The year is 1482 and the place is Medici Florence, a girl named Luciana Vetra works as a prostitute for many of the affluent men in Florence and also doubles part-time as a model. One of her clients has recommended her to the great artist Botticelli, who has been commissioned by the royal Medici family. The Medici family is considered royalty because of their wealth and because they own all the banks and control the money that flows through Florence.
Luciana agrees to sit for Botticelli and meets him at his home and models for him. The painting is La Primavera, meaning the spring, and she is to be Flora in the painting. Luciana is a beautiful girl, she has long blond curlicues that frame her beautiful face and Botticelli has her wearing a floral gown that makes her look even lovelier.
Luciana’s problems start after her sitting is over and she learns that Botticelli has no intentions of paying her for her work. This angers Luciana very much and while she is behind the curtain putting her own clothes back on, she stumbles upon the miniature painting of La Primavera. Luciana decides that if she will not be paid for her time than she will steal the painting and keep it for herself, not only to get even with Botticelli but also because she is very impressed with the painting itself. She rolls it up and hides it in her bosom and leaves.
What she doesn’t know and will soon discover is that she will learn of many secrets that are hidden in the painting that are quite dangerous to her and to people around her. But what is it about this painting that makes keeping it so dangerous for Luciana? She doesn’t know anything about the hidden secrets within the paintings but only knows that someone wants the painting back so much that they will kill her for it.
Luciana goes to the only place that she thinks she will find sanctuary, the nearby monastery where she befriends Brother Guido. She tells Guido her story and they both soon learn that the killers are on her trail even closer than she realized and one of the monks is found dead. Brother Guido and Luciana flee together on an adventure to find out the secrets to the painting, across nine cities of Renaissance Italy, being followed every step of the way by people who are trying diligently to keep them from decoding the secrets hidden in the painting.
