Dangerous Beauty

In 16th Century Venice, young and beautiful Veronica Franco falls in love with nobleman Marco Venier, and he with her. Born into wealth but impoverished by her father’s wastrel ways, her marriage to Marco is denied by his parents. Knowing Marco must marry a girl appropriate to his station, Veronica’s mother, a former courtesan, convinces her daughter that if she can’t be married to the man she loves, at least she can still be with him. She begins to school Veronica in the ways of the courtesan, and as such, Veronica is allowed access to Marco, as well as to the royal courts and other men of influence. Soon, she is among the most sought after women in Venice, and when a Turkish invasion threatens her city, her passionate encounter with the King of France secures his country’s aid against the Moors. When the Inquisition threatens the women of Venice, Veronica makes an impassioned plea to her accusers, asserting that just because a woman has influence over a man, doesn’t make her a heretic.