Safia Edris and her sister Nanni grew up in an Ethiopian orphanage after the disappearance of their parents. Milica Babic adopted Safia but not Nanni.

Milica, a collector of exotic art, had specifically asked for Safia, as the girl had shown an outsized interest in the subject. 

Unfortunately, Nanni later died in a secret location. Safia threw herself into her art, eventually making a career of it despite Milica’s wish for her to take over her collection.

A shady art dealer named Teoh got Safia in the door at the Louvre. There she rose from curator to assistant director via the deft handling of a potentially scandalous incident.

Teoh calls in his favor by brokering a deal for the Two Sisters, a painting the world thinks is a myth. Safia knows the truth, as Milica once owned it. The deal brings Safia into contact with Shamir al-Sadat and the Shadowdance.