In sixteenth-century Florence, in what would become Italy, Antonio and Donatella flee the wrath of Duke Cosimo de Medici from whom Antonio has stolen a sprig of jasmine, and they use that rare plant to make a fresh start. Includes facts about the duke and Italian history.

Princess Aislynn's magical ability is powerful and uncontrollable, so she is "redirected" into the order of Fairy Godmothers, where her heart is removed and stored in a hidden cabinet, and she must spend the rest of her life devoted to serving another royal family--but her growing friendship with a palace gardener causes Aislynn to question the vows she has taken, and the motives of those who would prevent her from "straying" from the path.