This novel, in three parts, follows the adventures of a young man, Bellarion, after he leaves the safety of the monastery that had nurtured him as an orphan waif. As young man of striking good looks, intelligence, wit, and unswerving loyalty, Bellarion's first five years in the world prove full of adventure, danger and romance. His life is intertwined with powerful Regents, Marquis, Dukes and Princesses with rogues, thieves, and pretenders amongst their midst. His strategic brilliance ensures him fame on the battlefields of 15th century Northern Italy but will his efforts avail him in this new and stunning world? More especially will he ever win the heart of the skeptical Princess Valeria? The novel intertwines real historical figures and events with fictional embellishments to craft a rapidly moving tale of adventure, strategy and philosophy on the motivations of human ambition, vanity and folly.. (Summary by KiwiReader24)