Michel Melzer, a mirror-maker from Mainz, goes to Constantinople to marry off his daughter—young and lovely Edita. In Constantinople, Melzer becomes the personal mirror-maker of the emperor and learns the secrets of the “black art”—book printing. Suddenly Edita runs away from her father. Searching for his daughter, Melzer moves to Venice, where he awaits a great number of adventures: meeting and parting from the love of his life, involvement in a conspiracy against the Pope, and an alliance with a mysterious stranger who hides his name and intentions. Will the mirror-maker find his daughter? And will the “black art” bring him luck—because of which he ends up at the center of political intrigue?