Set at the end of the Tulip Era, a turning point in Ottoman history when international boundaries were beingm redrawn and social divisions exacerbated by lavish excesses among the aristocracy and increasing deprivation among the masses were propelling Istanbul into turmoil and rebellion, this is a fast-moving tale about two young men who, in their quest for love, set out to solve the mystery of a brutal murder and to retrieve a priceless tulip.