In eighteenth-century Venice, Italy, the city is afloat with music. The finest performances are heard at an orphanage called the Ospedale della Pietá. Hidden from the audience behind a screen, an orchestra consisting of young orphan girls dazzles devoted fans.

Encouraged by the imagination of their music teacher Antonio Vivaldi, the girls find stories and characters in each composition they play. But the governor of the orphanage frowns upon Vivaldi's fanciful ways.

When Vivaldi and his students are separated, the musician is inspired to compose a set of concertos that mark the passing of time—the great baroque masterpiece entitled The Four Seasons. With the help of Anna Maria, the oldest girl, the young musicians find the courage to bring Vivaldi's musical stories to life on their own in this heartwarming story of friendship, imagination, and the transformative power of music.

From the dust jacket