Jean le Viste, a fifteenth-century nobleman close to the King, hires an ambitious artist to design six tapestries celebrating his rising status at Court. A talented miniaturist, Nicholas des Innocents overcomes his surprise at being offered this commission when he catches sight of his patron's sumptuous daughter, Claude. His pursuit of her pulls him unwittingly into the web of fragile relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, lovers and servants. In Brussels, renowned weaver, Georges de la Chapelle, takes on the biggest challenge of his career. Never before has he attempted a work that puts so much at stake. Sucked into a world of temptation and seduction, he and his family are consumed by the project and by their dealings with the rogue painter from Paris. Tracy Chevalier, whose three earlier novels are loved and admired all over the world, has woven a rich, satisfying tale about the passion and price of artistic creation.