The old Duke bypasses his two sons and chooses one of his nephews to succeed him to the Ducal Title of the House of Este. The nephew is not certain he wants the honor.

The author challenges much of the commonly accepted wisdom of the times and points out that much of it is rooted in common stupidity.

A girl of fourteen begins writing a diary and the early entries show her to be innocent and naive, but her entries expressing her desires for the future are strangely prophetic.