The book is written based on recent events connected with the discovery of several paintings by Rubens that had previously been considered lost. The novel reveals secrets of the great Fleming’s creativity, lifts the veil of mystery over his life, and encourages readers to look anew at the morals of the Renaissance era.
And all of this is explained in the voices of a young assistant of the Hermitage who dreams of marrying a foreigner, and her friend, a German journalist searching for the “man with a Russian soul.” They find themselves pulled into a mirror-like story—discovering… another painting, too—also genuine: “Tarquinius and Lucretia.”