Flavia was born with a birthmark marring her face in the shape of a bird in flight A dyer's daughter she grows up in a secluded little house in the woods away from prying eyes Ashamed of the mark her mother forces Flavia to conceal her face behind a veil But on the night before her younger sister's wedding Flavia does something drastic something that will draw her into a much wider & stranger world than she could have imagined the convent of Santa Giuliana just outside the city walls There she meets Ghostanza a courtesan turned widow whose white-lead painted face entrances Flavia & whose beauty & cruelty are unmatched Flavia becomes her ornatrix her hairdresser & personal maid But as white-lead paint rots the flesh below it the bustling city & Santa Giuliana is rotting below the shimmer of wealth & privilege & Flavia is drawn into a world of desire & jealousy that has devastating consequences Set in sixteenth century & painted against a vivid historical Italian landscape rich in description & character & with themes & characters relevant to today it tackles issues of belonging female identity & the perception of beauty It cannot fail to move