The Continuing the story of hope and struggle he began in "Messenger" and "Courtesans, Part I," author Michael Polowetzky's third novel; "Courtesans, Part II" now focuses mainly on Countess Celine de Montfort, the present leader of her unique clan. The reader learns about Celine's childhood and adolescence. The reader learns how Celine is shaped by her idealistic mother and more worldly-wise aunt. In addition, the reader learns about Celine's unexpected friendship with the expatriate Iranian-American scholar Ashraf Kermanshani. In winning for her new friend the academic acceptance she deserves, Celine demonstrates that the Montfort Ladies are not just the molders of contemporary statecraft but the shapers of modern culture as well.