Duke Philippe marries Cristina, the daughter of a fisherman. But his brothers, seeing that they would be cut from the family inheritance set to go to Cristina, decide to get rid of her by imprisoning her in a tower and making the duke believe she died.

Margherita nicknamed Fornarina is Raphael's mistress. Beatrice, a noblewoman who is also in love with the famous painter tries to get her out of the way, by having her wrongly accused of the murder of a loan shark, whom she has in reality killed herself. Fornarina is sentenced to death. Will Raphael manage to prove her innocent?

After being raped by her father, Ingrid moves to Rome and ends up becoming a prostitute. She finds a friend in Claudia, but Claudia's protector is a sadistic thug by the name of Renato who will show her the worst of the what life in the city has to offer.

Angela is not happy about her daddy's choice for a new wife and does everything she can to destroy her stepmother-to-be.