: The story begins in 1769 at the Rivombrosa estate. The aging Countess Agnese Ristori is in failing health and wishes to see her son, Count Fabrizio Ristori, who has spent the last ten years serving in the French army.

Set in 1769 in the Piedmont region of Italy, the story follows (played by Vittoria Puccini ), a poor but educated woman who serves as a lady-in-waiting to the elderly Countess Agnese Ristori .

: The "secret list" serves as the MacGuffin that drives the plot beyond romance into the realm of a political thriller.