The year is 1572. "The pope is dead. As cardinals flock to the Vatican to elect a new pontiff, they are unaware that a weapon capable of destroying the Church has been smuggled in with them. As the doors of the city are locked, Catholic exile Jack Cole is sealed inside, hoping to gather intelligence for Elizabeth I’s spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and win permission to return to England.
But he is not alone. His wife, Amy, has sneaked into the Vatican. If she is discovered, they could both be tortured and executed."