Catherine LeVendeurs life is a reflection of both the bonds placed upon a woman in her society and the ways in which a strong personality could triumph and succeed in spite of those strictures. Catherine is an independent spirit, fiercely loyal to both er Catholic faith and her family, and this loyalty is sometimes sorely tested because of her familys biggest secret: their Jewish roots.How far will she go to protect that secret? When her dearest friend in the world, Astolabe, the son of the fabled Abelard and Heloise, flees wrongful prosecution for the vicious murder of a young woman, Catherines family hides him. But there are darker forces than murder at work here. Someone wishes to use Astolabe to complete the destruction of his fathers fame in the name of faith . . . and there are those who want the destruction of the very order of Christian life.Catherines family is caught in the middle of the conflict. How far will Catherine go to save her friend, and what will this sacrifice do to her familys future?