Florence, the 1550s. When her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia must marry him instead. Is her new husband Alfonso the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician? In the court's eye, she has one duty: to provide an heir who will shore up the future of the Ferrarese dynasty. Until then, for all her rank and nobility, the new duchess's future hangs in the balance.
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