Synopsis

Shades of Brilliance is a rags-to-riches tale of splendor, intrigue, and passion with Celeste Gabriele, an impoverished nanny who is unwittingly drawn into the Renaissance art world where her life is transformed, and she discovers a love more powerful than she could have dreamed.

Celeste’s life has gone from wealth and privilege in the highest echelons of the aristocracy to dismal poverty in the Venetian slums. With her drunk of a father missing and her mother dead, it falls upon Celeste to protect her younger brothers and sisters from starvation. When the burden becomes overwhelming and Celeste makes plans to escape her wretched life, her wealthy aunt appears and whisks her off to work as a nanny to young Federigo Benetto.

One day, as Celeste escorts Federigo to his art lesson, his maestro, Duke Luciano Vicente, stumbles upon a sketch drawn by Celeste. The maestro immediately recognizes her raw artistic talent and begs her to become his secret protégé. Celeste consents and soon becomes obsessed as she hones her abilities under the watchful eye of Luciano, whom she secretly loves. She blissfully carries on until their arrangement is discovered and she is thrown out onto the street with nothing. Will she survive in a world working against her to achieve her dreams and win the heart of the nobleman she loves?