Fourteen-year-old Isabel has seen the grim procession of prisoners through the city, and though a devout Catholic herself, questions the humanity of it all. She is quickly hushed, though, because to even doubt the Inquisition is to mark yourself as either a heretic or a traitor. Isabel is from a fairly well-off and respected family - her father is physician to the royal court - and inside the walls of her home and with the comfort of her personal shrine to the Virgin Mother, the world feels safe and normal. Her world is turned upside down, though, when she is betrothed to the son of Don Alfonso, a Cavalier. Luis is cruel and disrespectful, but her parents ignore her pleas not to marry him. They insist it is to ensure her safety from the Inquisition, as Don Alfonso's family has a long history in the Catholic church; Isabel is confused why she should need any protection from the Inquisition, but her parents then tell her the impossible truth - they are Conversos. Their grandparents were forced to convert, but their family continued to practice their Jewish faith in secret.
The news breaks everything Isabel thought she knew about herself - she feels she is as devout a Catholic as ever, but is she truly also a Jew? Can she be both, or must she choose? Whatever she does, however, she is sworn to secrecy, for all their lives depend on no one discovering the truth of their heritage. Isabel wants to learn all she can about this new part of her identity, but can she satisfy her mounting curiosity without giving away her family's secret? The Inquisitor General's men are everywhere, and it is impossible to know who can be trusted.
