Eva meets Tudor on the day of her 16th birthday. It is Tudor who is to make her feel whole as a woman. He becomes for her a source of both love and suffering through his constant mysterious departures and reappearances. When he is gone, Eva keeps a special place for him in her heart. During Tudors absences, Eva lives through many terrible ordeals, including her shooting of her uncle Alfonse as he tries to rape her. With Tudor away, she meets Baron Oswald Von Seele. They marry and Eva finds her peace. When Tudor returns, Evas love for him is rekindled and they spend an unforgettable summer together at the seaside. Eva is now pregnant. Oswald wants a divorce. Soon Tudor leaves again, called away on business, though without saying where he is going. Evas child dies during childbirth. War is bringing the world to its knees and Europes borders are collapsing. Tudor returns to Eva to find tragedy at every turn: political assassinations, raids and Iron Guard rebellions that culminate in massacres of the Jews. Romanias entry into the War sees Eva on her own again. She volunteers to work at the Military Hospital, where she meets Lucian, a medical student.