History and magic intertwine in a fairytale retelling that will capture the hearts of Beauty and the Beast fans. Hope helps you endure. Love will break the spell. Paris, 1870. As the Franco-Prussian War enters its desperate final months, the capitol transforms from a splendid metropolis into a city under siege. Lavish meals change to rations, pigeons deliver letters, and two destinies will collide, challenged by a seemingly unbreakable curse. Every night, New York aristocrat Orin Rush transforms into a monster. After learning that a human heart is the only way to break the curse, he keeps himself carefully distant from anyone he might hurt. Can he lift the enchantment without taking a life? His search for answers leads him to Paris. Every day, free-spirited Claire Turin photographs the people and animals of Paris. Fascinated by the city she loves, her greatest dream is a secret she keeps in her apartment. Her greatest fear is the emptiness of night, when she thinks of the family she's lost. She's never loved anyone else. Maybe she never will. Will Paris and its people survive the hardship of the Siege? Will Orin break the curse? And will two hearts who've never known love awaken in the City of Light?