Versailles, 1756. At the court of King Louis XV, everyone is talking about Chevalier Charles d'on de Beaumont, a mysterious androgynous figure as beautiful as he is intelligent, who draws every gaze and every desire. Alexandre is 21 years old. For the past three years, he has served as Charles's squire, quietly suffering from an impossible love for the master to whom he is utterly devoted. At times, he dares to hope for more as their bond deepens, yet he fears being cast aside one day in favor of someone more interesting. Sent to Saint Petersburg on a spying mission, the two men cross paths with Gaa Vassilievna Parchoukova, a young woman as dangerous as she is intriguing, who may well become their downfall. When reality forces the heart back into line, masks begin to fall, and by the time they return to Versailles, nothing may ever be the same again.
