Cursed from birth by the bird-shaped blemish across her face, Flavia spends much of her life hidden from the outside world. After sabotaging her sister’s wedding in a fit of jealous rage, she is exiled to serve in the convent of Santa Giuliana. Soon she finds that another exile dwells in the convent: a former Venetian courtesan named Ghostanza, whose ostentatious appearance clashes with the otherwise austere convent. When Ghostanza claims Flavia as her ornatrix --- her personal hairdresser and handmaid --- Flavia is pulled into a world where admiration is everything and perfection is the ultimate, elusive goal.