Based on archival materials, the novel tells the story of the life of one of the greatest masters of the Renaissance: the Italian sculptor, architect, painter, thinker, and poet Michelangelo de Francesco de Neri de Minato del Serafino di Lodovico di Buonarroti Simoni—more familiarly known to us as Michelangelo Buonarroti. A telling detail: in order to convey to the reader more convincingly the nuances of working with stone, the writer mastered the craft of a stonecutter. And for the authenticity of everyday details of Michelangelo’s life, Stone sold his house in California and, for the time of writing the book, settled in Italy.