Eleven-year-old Cinzia is a printer's apprentice in sunny Siannerra, a bustling, powerful city, where the ruling family encourages science and arts. Cinzia's days are filled with helping her mestra, Aronne. She adores Mestra Aronne for taking her in, and she loves life in the raggedy workshop that smells of paper and printing, where secrets and stories are always circulating. When Mestra Aronne discovers the principessa's brother is stealing from the city, her latest newsletter becomes the talk of the town. Both Aronne and Cinzia are arrested and charged with treason. Desperate, Cinzia escapes through the mazelike palazzo, only to end up in the gardens, where she comes face-to-face with Elena, the principessa's daughter. Elena is the exact same age as Cinzia, but she's forced to keep to her rooms and garden because, according to her uncle, Elena is not the charming, powerful noble her family wants her to be. The