15th century

Luc, a youth born with one ear and raised by a drunken father in fifteenth-century France, finds a better home with fisherman Pons, his sister Mattie, and their ward Beatrice, the daughter of a disgraced knight, and even after being kidnapped and sold into slavery in Africa, he remains remarkably fortunate.

Provides a biography of Joan of Arc chronicling her life, contributions to France's history, and death as a martyr. Explores how a teenage shepherdess was able to lead the French military to victory and focuses on Joan's intelligence, courage, and faith in the face of opposition.

In Renaissance Italy, Elisabetta longs for romance, and when Leonardo da Vinci introduces her to Guiliano de Medici, whose family rules Florence but is about to be deposed, she has no inkling of the romance--and sorrow--that will ensue.

Overview of this era, from early Renaissance and new architecture to proportion, perspective, and legacy. Offers facts on Leonardo da Vinci.