Mid 13 c. Icon-painter Iliya is commissioned to do the frescoes of a newly built church. The local ruler holds the gifted and outspoken past master in awe and they make friends. But Iliya is dazzled by the beauty of Desislava, the ruler's wife. Another interesting woman, The Levantine, enters his life. Being antipodes, the two of them inspire him to paint one of the best icons ever, which is still kept in Boyana Church nearby Sofia - a cultural monument, under the protection of UNESCO.