As centuries and millennia pass, power changes hands between nations and the map of the world is redrawn. But the passions that shape those changes-love and war-remain constant.When Aristos and Helen arrive in Istanbul to work on a film about the fall of the city-Constantinoupolis, as it was in 1453, when Sultan Mehmed's forces stormed its mighty walls-they have little idea how intensely they will become involved in the epic story. As they read a chronicle of the siege written by Anna Notaras, secret lover of the Emperor Constantinos, they sense eerie parallels with the world around them. In Helen's case, the connection becomes deeply personal, as she discovers more about her own past, as well as that of the city. As she and Aristos fall in love, emotions are heightened still further.This novel is a vividly detailed and breath-takingly involving, retelling of one of history's most astounding tales. It is also a contemporary love story, told with tenderness and humor. And, inexorably, it develops into a religious conspiracy theory on the grandest imaginable scale.