Sophia's husband Cornelis is one of the lucky ones who grew rich dealing with the Tulip flower. To celebrate, he commissions a young artist to paint him with his beautiful young bride. But as the portrait grows, so does the passion between Sophia and the painter; and ambitions, desires and dreams breed an intricate deception and a reckless gamble.

Deborah Moggach's most recent novel was published alongside several non-fiction titles about Tulipmania. Amsterdam, 1630; Cornelis Sandvoort is an elderly Dutchman who has made money speculating on the exotic new flower. He commissions a portrait of himself and his young wife, but Sophia develops an attraction to the painter, Jan van Loos... "Sumptuous and enthralling... a passionate precision, a delight in the sensual that is reminiscent of Michele Roberts" "The Times".