It is midnight, 31 October 1758, and Giacomo Casanova has escaped from a Venetian prison after sixteen months consigned to darkness and the underworld.
Shaking off the enforced solitude, Casanova makes his way to Bolzano - the small village where he was dealt a cruel hand. A place full of memories, Bolzano was the scene of a moonlit duel fought with the Duke of Parma - when Casanova and he were both in pursuit of the beguiling Francesca. Casanova's quest was lost and he was left with three scars above his heart and one option: he could only live on the condition he never saw Francesca again. But now Casanova is back, having secured a loan from an old friend, and is determined to win this time - whilst the Duke has an offer Casanova simply cannot refuse and which just might spell his undoing.