19th century Italy. Bianca arrives at a beautiful villa in the countryside outside Milan. A gifted young watercolorist, she has been commissioned to illustrate the plants in the magnificent grounds. Bianca settles in, invited into the heart of the family by the eccentric poet Don Titta, his five children, his elegant and delicate wife and controlling mother. As the seasons pass, Bianca develops her art, and attracts many admirers. She develops a special affection for one housemaid, who, she is intrigued to learn, has mysterious origins. But as Bianca's determination to unlock the secrets of the villa grows, she little notices the dangers that lie all around her. Who is the mysterious woman she has glimpsed in the gardens? What could Don Titta and his friends be whispering about so furtively? And while Bianca watches so carefully for clues, who is watching her? In The Watercolourist, set against the intoxicating background of an Italy on the cusp of change, a young woman's naive curiosity will take her into the territory of hidden secrets, of untold truth and of love.