It's 1954 on far-flung Verona Island, a tropical paradise with a fragile economy and a rising crime rate. Prostitution is legal and Lila Gulliver is proud of her business, a high-end brothel where her clients are guaranteed privacy and discretion. When Carità Bercy, a young, destitute, and beautiful blind woman arrives at her door seeking employment, Lila decides to give her a chance. Carità proves a valuable asset to the house, as well as a psychological...

"A story of family, war, art, and betrayal set around an ancient, ancestral home in the Tuscan countryside"-- Provided by publisher.

Cecil and Anton are brothers, but they're as different as port and starboard. Cecil thirsts for seafaring adventure as he roams the docks of his harborside home, taking day trips on fishing boats. Anton prefers listening to the sailors' shanties at the town saloon. But one day when Anton goes to port, he's taken to be a ratter on a ship bound for the high seas. Cecil boards another ship in hopes of finding Anton, but what begins as a rescue mission...