Seventeenth-century Amsterdam is a city in the grip of tulip mania, basking in the wealth it has generated. Sophia`s husband Cornelis, an ageing merchant, is among those grown rich from this exotic new flower. To celebrate, he commissions a talented young artist to paint him with his young bride. But as the portrait grows, so does the passion between Sophia & the painter; & as ambitions, desires & dreams breed an intricate deception, their reckless gamble propels their lives towards a thrilling & tragic conclusion.