In 1314, the exiled, now infamous poet Dante and his two sons, seventeen year old Pietro Alagheiri and his younger brother Jacopo, travel to Verona at the invitation of it's leader, the legendary Franceso Cangrande della Scalla. Almost immediately, a sneak attack leads Pietro into his first battle - and into the confidences of the charismatic Cangrande, and a tight friendship with Mariotto Montecchiand Antonio Capuletti. But hidden forces are at work against Cangrande - a series of attempts are being made against an infant's life, a child believed to be Cangrande's illegitimate son and possible heir. Adding to the complications is the growing rivalry between Pietro's best friends over a woman who is betrothed to one and in love with the other-a rivalry that will sever a friendship, divide a city, and ultimately lead to the best known tragic romance in literature.