Art conservator Flora Garibaldi is intrigued by her temporary assignment at the Uffizi Gallery, a former Renaissance palace under continuous renovation. Then she discovers that a famous Botticelli painting has been replaced by an expert forgery. Who is the forger? When did the swap occur? Where is the original painting?

A little bored by routine restoration, Flora joins her policeman boyfriend in his investigation, searching forgotten storage areas and hidden passageways for the missing artworks. A museum guard is murdered and a second forgery turns up. Soon Flora's meddling makes her the target of a criminal mastermind.