Jerusalem, 1908.

Under Ottoman rule, as scarcity and disease ravage the city, the distinguished Dr. Patrius Efklides struggles to do his duty as head of the municipal hospital. Inside the clinic, he fights with determination for the lives of his patients – but outside its walls, the foreign doctor keeps mainly to himself, unaware even of the effect his handsome demeanor and graceful manner have on a certain member of his staff.

Years later, a discarded notebook unearthed in an ancient storeroom reveals a long-forgotten story brimming with intrigue. Its pages overflow with precious secrets, forbidden love affairs across religious divides, and epidemics of disastrous proportions; and at the center of them all – Dr. Efklides, a Greek doctor in Jerusalem, and the young nurse whose heart he captured.