¿Every act has a past. Events don't just materialise from nowhere.' Ras is a former attendant at London's National Gallery who, having become fascinated with the work of Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca, is now awaiting trial for the theft of one of his paintings. His lawyer, Elizabeth Saunders, must piece together his story, and that of enigmatic bon viveur writer Alex Benson - a story that leads from war-torn Sri Lanka to London, to the hills of Italy where, despite the serenity of the landscape, war's shadow looms long and large. A vivid fresco of art, love and loss from the LA Times First Fiction Award-shortlisted author of Mosquito.