In seventeenth-century Rome, connections are everything. But for fifteen-year-old Beppo Ghirlandi, an indentured servant accused of murder, there is no one to turn to. The only person who will help him is the painter from across the Piazza, the madman genius known as Caravaggio--who, unfortunately, has serious troubles of his own. By helping Caravaggio flee, Beppo might just be able to stay alive.