This book is a work of historical fiction set in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th at the height of spiritualism, an era of tension between religion and science. Eusapia Palladino was born in the Italian village of Minervino in 1854. There are only a few facts known about her early years: her mother died while giving birth to Eusapia; her father was murdered when she was a young girl; and she had a miserable childhood. After being sent to Naples, spiritualists helped her develop her talents and she became famous. Her adult life as a medium is better documented. Famous people like William James, Cesare Lombroso, Nobel Prize winners Charles Richet and Marie and Pierre Curie participated in her sances and investigated her. Many people believed her to be genuine. Eight years after her death in 1918, Arthur Conan Doyle praised her psychic abilities in his History of Spiritualism. Numerous books and articles have been written about her. Even today, she has her believers and remains alive in articles online. Eusapia Palladino's wretched childhood in a small Italian village and her evolution into one of Europe's most successful mediums at the turn of the 20th century come alive in this historic novel. In a period when the emergence of modern science calls into question long-held assumptions, and spiritualism fills a void caused by the resulting decline in traditional religious beliefs, Eusapia taps successfully into the new hopes and fears of her time.Communicating with the dead is a deeply personal experience for Eusapia. She survives the misery of her childhood only by holding on to her dead mother who died giving birth to her. For a poor but clever and independent girl without schooling, becoming a medium is a way to get by in life and maybe even do well. With the help of influential spiritualists, Eusapia develops her powers. Her reputation soars and brings her to cities all over Europe and across the ocean to America.