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The novel is a work of historical fiction inspired by the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in 15th-century Spain. The story traces the harrowing journey of this rare manuscript through centuries of war and exile.

In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is tasked with the conservation and analysis of the rescued Haggadah. As she works, she discovers tiny artifacts within its ancient binding—such as an insect wing fragment, wine stains, and a white hair—that help unlock the book's mysteries and reveal the diverse hands that protected it throughout history.