Serena's found the perfect lover––too bad he's her worst enemy.
Driven by longings she can no longer contain, Serena Alberenghi ventures into the decadent madness of Venice's Carnival. There she finds what she is searching for in the arms of a masked stranger, whose rough hands and scorching kisses leave her breathless.
She never expects to see him again, but he seeks her out and tempts her with the promise of a night dedicated solely to her pleasure—a dangerous proposition for a respectable widow with secrets to protect. She agrees to be his lover on the condition they remain anonymous.
Merchant prince Dante Valaresso has returned to Venice to restore his family's fortune and reclaim his ancestral home. A born sailor, he misses the sea, but his fiery new mistress has him thinking life ashore might suit him just as well. All that stands between him and contentment is a dour, eccentric widow named Serena Alberenghi, who refuses to vacate his palazzo.
They play out their games amidst the sensual, heady swirl of Carnival, they unmask the truth: To earn perfect happiness, each might have to give up what they covet the most.
