This work of historical fiction based on the life of 16th century seer Nostradamus examines how Michel de Nostredame developed his powers of prediction, as told from the perspective of a boyhood friend. Inclined to be a skeptic, his friend pursues a privileged life in the French court, in marked contrast to the chosen path of Michel de Nostredame. Though Michel eventually rises to fame as Catherine de' Medici's astrologer, along the way he pays a high price for his quest to understand timeless secrets. Originally published in 1983, this is a revised edition.