In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, which was rescued during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna discovers a series of tiny artifacts in the books ancient binding, she begins to unlock its mysteries, tracing the books journey from its salvation back to its creation. In Bosnia during WW II, a Muslim risks his life to protect the book from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in a struggle against the citys rising anti-Semitism. In Inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it. Hannas investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics.