The Rope of the Dead

Everyone knows that Leonardo da Vinci was an extraordinary artist, sculptor and inventor, but this evocative and involving cable drama paints a portrait of the consummate Renaissance man who, as a twentysomething, was a passionate ladies' man, swashbuckling swordsman and intrepid adventurer. The series opens with da Vinci receiving a commission from the Medicis to create an Easter spectacle in Florence. Later, he's hired to build war machines; investigates the source of demonic possessions at a convent; meets a mysterious Turk; has a chilling encounter with Vlad Dracula; and constructs a suit for underwater transportation.

Florence is thrown into chaos in the wake of the Pazzi conspiracy and Leonardo da Vinci must push the limits of his mind and body to defend the city against the forces of Rome. When the dust settles, friends are buried and rivalries enflamed. While the Medicis go to unthinkable lengths to deal with new threats, da Vinci continues on his quest to find the fabled Book of Leaves and uncover the secret history of his mother. He'll come to realize that he has lethal competition in his quest -- new enemies who may be even worse than the forces of Pope Sixtus. His search will take him to faraway lands and force him to reevaluate everything he knew about the world and his own history.

Leonardo da Vinci's world comes crashing down when the city of Otranto is torn apart by an Ottoman invasion. On the battlefield, the Turks use da Vinci’s own weapons against him… the designs for which were stolen by someone he trusted. This betrayal will haunt Leo long after the battle is decided, as will the deaths of loved ones lost in the fighting. When Rome instigates a Crusade against the Turks, he seizes the opportunity to join, but his mission is complicated by a series of grisly murders that terrorize Italy and threaten the Crusade itself.