The Girl from Oto

Every painting tells a story. The trick is in unlocking its secrets… In The Girl from Oto, a young American scholar navigates a foreign world, experiencing friendship, betrayal and love as she chases the ghost of a Renaissance-era artist through Europe. 2015: When art historian Zari Durrell scores a coveted position in Scotland researching the life and work of artist Cornelia van der Zee, she decodes clues hidden in two 16th-century portraits. Originally attributed to Van der Zee, the paintings contain traces of another artist entirely: a mysterious young woman named Mira. Risking both her professional reputation and safety, Zari tracks Mira along the pilgrim's route of Camino de Santiago in the rugged Pyrenees mountains-and plunges deep into the past. 1500: Mira's own harrowing tale unfolds as Zari's quest to uncover the truth intensifies. Born during a time wracked by war, plague, and shifting political boundaries, Mira grows up in a Pyrenees convent believing she is an orphan, unaware of the dark secret in her past. Inexplicably, she is singled out to receive an education normally reserved for men, including training in the arts. But when her peaceful existence is shattered, Mira must brave the world beyond the convent's gates to learn the devastating story of her origins-and find the strength to face those who would destroy her.