Susanna Horenbout's chance meeting with a jeweller from Antwerp, an old family friend, pulls her and her betrothed, courtier John Parker, into a deadly plot against the King. Ever since Henry VIII's sister Mary gave him the spectacular Mirror of Naples, part of the French Crown Jewels, the King of France has been plotting to get it back.

After the French king's capture in battle, the secret deal struck for the jewel's return with a powerful figure in Henry's court, Cardinal Wolsey, is in jeopardy-- and French agents in London are taking matters into their own hands. But the powerful Duke of Norfolk has caught wind of the secret deal, and sees the planned theft as an opportunity to rid himself of a hated rival at court -- even if it means plunging England into an unwinnable war with France. As Susanna and John Parker desperately search for the jewel, trying to stay one step ahead of the French, they're swept into a power struggle with men who do not care who they crush to get what they want. And with the fate of Henry's kingship in the balance, they must figure out who Henry's true enemies are--before it's too late.