It is 1903 – the dawn of a new century in İstanbul, the Ottoman Imperial capital.
Anarchy and unrest threaten the old order in Europe; meanwhile, powerful enemies are plotting the fall of the once mighty Ottoman Empire.
Languishing behind the high walls and heavily-guarded gates of the Çırağan Palace are the former Sultan Murad V and his family. This palace on the shores of the Bosphorus has been their ‘gilded cage’ for nearly thirty years: ever since Murad’s deposition in 1876, they have been held in strict confinement on the orders of his younger brother, the autocratic ruler Sultan Abdülhamid II.
Murad knows that only his death can bring freedom for his beloved family. His hopes are simple: that his daughters and granddaughters may find love and happiness; that his son and grandsons may seek out adventure, fulfilment and purpose; and above all, that the Ottoman Empire may survive the attacks on its sovereignty.
But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep: violence comes dangerously close to home, and scandal in the family threatens to bring destruction of all that Murad holds dear …
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