Twenty years later June 1797. Twenty years have passed and many things have changed at Rivombrosa and in Europe. Napoleon’s Army has swept into Italy and Piedmont, with its promise of freedom, equality and brotherhood. But, as often happens, military occupation also delivers poverty, insecurity and oppression. At Rivombrosa and the surrounding villages, a legend is born, a group of masked outlaws wages guerrilla warfare against the French, hurting the occupiers in manpower and treasure. Nobles and farmers alike whisper the name of the their leader in fear. Though summer casts its golden hues on Rivombrosa, the prevailing mood couldn’t be darker. And into this chiaroscuro our story begins. A carriage travels along the road connecting the French mountains with Rivombrosa. Aboard the conveyance sits a ravishingly beautiful young girl who gazes in wonderment at the places where she had been raised. She is Agnese Ristori, the only daughter of Elisa and Fabrizio. Now a stunning 23 year old with all the charm and comeliness of her mother Elisa, she ignores the book in her hands and continues to gaze at the landscape outside the window. She asks the driver how much longer the journey will take. In a couple of hours, they should be back home: Agnese is longing to embrace her old friends and family in Rivombrosa, especially Martino, her brother, who is due to be married in a few days. While Agnese happily muses about the future, the carriage disappears into the dark and bandit infested woods. When will she find the love of her life? Little can she imagine that the moment is just around the bend..