The hero of this romance is not a warrior nor a gentleman. He was born, regrettably, in a time too prosaic for either profession. Trained by the sword, he has never used one. Tutored in the finest etiquettes, he remains a rude cad. You will not find him on the battlefield, lopping off enemy heads for his Lord. You will not find him in a ballroom, inviting laced petticoats to dance. But he's a special man. With his trained hands, he conjures white flowers out of black soot. He makes mountains out of soot hills and turns common women beautiful. Armed with ink and brush, this strange man in a strange land drifts and drifts until he meets a friend who will change his life forever.