"In the tower of Count Stelli in the ancient city-state of Agora, two children meet, apparently by chance. Mark has escaped the plague ravaging the city's slums. Lily is the servant who cares for him. At first, their only goal is survival: In Agora, everything can be bought and sold, debt is death, and Mark and Lily must barter their labor for their lives. Then comes an opportunity for them to exchange destinies: for Lily to escape the tower for the...