A darkness takes shape beneath the waters of Venice . . . and somewhere in the Ospedale della Pieta, there are two girls breathing beside each other, legs entwined. Venice, 1717. Before Maddalena arrived at the Ospedale della Pieta, Venice's most illustrious music school, fifteen-year-old orphan Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. Luisa is good at violin, but she is not the best. She has peers, but she does not have friends. Until Maddalena. Sent to the Pieta until her noble family can find her a husband, Maddalena is cunning, passionate, and unlike anyone Luisa has ever met. Maddalena can promise the world to Luisa, and when she does, their fates intertwine. But Maddalena has made a dangerous wager and, for both girls, there will be an unimaginable price to pay.
