A DNA ancestry test and look to the past changes everything for college student Michael Malavolti. When he discovers the Malavoltis were once a wealthy noble family in medieval Italy, he becomes consumed with uncovering their history and sets his sights on a PhD in Renaissance studies. His dissertation involves a genetic component that traces his family's origins in the Republic of Siena. After his thesis research garners the attention of a top anthropological geneticist and professor in Rome, Michael is surprised but thrilled.However, the night before Michael arrives in Rome to begin his project the geneticist has gone missing, his laboratory trashed, and mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphics in blood are left at the crime scene. For reasons unknown, Michael himself is soon embroiled in a life-or-death struggle with world elites to keep the origin of three major religions secret. His genetic research leads him on a dangerous trip through the history of Siena, the Vatican, Charlemagne, and even ancient Egypt. As they say: "Blood will always tell."