A historical novel set in 1901 on Mingheria, an imaginary Ottoman island in the eastern Mediterranean. When plague breaks out, the authorities struggle to impose quarantine against religious doubts, local suspicion and political rivalries, while the empire's power is fading. The story is narrated by a historian looking back and drawing on letters and records.
The novel follows doctors, officials, a princess and islanders as the epidemic tests loyalty, belief and government. It is a long, vivid book about public health, nationalism and how societies respond to fear.