A passionate tale of love, betrayal and revolution unfolds in nineteenth-century Italy, where a young seminary student's crisis of faith leads him down a path of radical political action. When disillusionment with the Catholic Church transforms him into a fiery revolutionary known as the Gadfly-he must confront not only the oppressive forces of church and state but also the painful secrets of his own past. As his campaign for Italian independence intensifies, the personal and political become inextricably entwined in this powerful story of faith, love, and revolution.