The year is 1482; the exotic Prince Cem arrives in Nice. He has the protection of the Christian Knights of St John and their promise of help to regain the Ottoman empire; he receives lavish hospitality from the local Grimaldo family. He has high hopes for the future. But there is one in that family, the young clerk Hos , who knows that such hopes can easily be dashed. His own life has made him aware of the political and commercial complexities that can turn life unexpectedly and completely on its head. He finds himself working with the Knights, supporting their deceits and intrigues; but he has his own secrets to keep. He finds himself in mortal danger, his loyalty severely tested. Is blood relationship the one reality that all the sea cannot wash away?