Louis Mazzini's mother's frequent tales of how her titled D'Ascoyne family shunned her after she eloped with an Italian commoner causes a simmering resentment in him. On being spurned because of his lowly status by his lifetime (if devious and fickle) sweetheart Sibella he decides to permanently remove all the D'Ascoynes standing between him and the Dukedom. Becoming romantically involved with one of the widows he has created, he finds Sibella's jealousy could seriously threaten his grand design.