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Four seemingly unrelated stories sets in motion Nedelea's historical fiction thriller. The first and main storyline centers on Isa, a young woman living in France, who seems disconnected with life and is unable to dream. Then her world is shaken by a revelation from Victoria (the "Great Lady"), the woman she always knew as her mother, is in fact her aunt. Isa's real mother, Mara, lies in a comatose state from a near-fatal car crash years ago. When Isa goes to meet her, Mara awakens but dies shortly after. Then Isa is attacked in the hospital but quickly helped by a stranger named Mark Zweifer, who joins Isa as she sets out in search for the identity of her father and the mystery of her mother's past.
As Isa begins her quest, the adjoining storylines parallel with Isa's, stretching across time and other locations of Europe, providing relevant clues to the mystery of Isa's father's archeological discovery and Mara's fascination with a deck of tarot cards that harks back to the Middle Ages. While Isa follows in her mother's footsteps, she attempts to unravel the importance of the tarot cards and inadvertently brings to light a secret with far-reaching historical significance.
At first, the other three plot lines that intersect with Isa's present-day plot line are a bit jarring, but they gradually begin to make sense through the progression of the narrative. Yet, many of the novel's characters are fairly predictable and one-dimensional. Isa doesn't always come across as sympathetic and endearing, thus creating an isolating effect for the reader. However, Nedelea's debut novel provides ample mystery, history, and some romance for a fast-reading and enjoyable tale.