The Citadel and the Lamb

As the Dutch Revolt Moves Into Full Array, a Young Family Is Caught in the Uncertainties of War. Sixteenth-century Holland has risen up in revolt against the occupation and religious oppression of King Philip II of Spain. Pieter-Lucas van den Garde, a gifted Dutch artist, continues his dangerous and strategic role of messenger for Willem van Oranje. Then, in the midst of the uncertainties of war, his wife, Aletta, gives birth to their second child. Seeking to protect his family from being arrested by the Spanish soldiers and from being accused as Anabaptists, Pieter-Lucas takes them to the fortified city of Leyden, where he had once dreamed of studying art under a master artist. Here, the only painter Pieter-Lucas finds is Joris, an innkeeper who, for fear of persecution, will not admit to being a painter or to being a Jew. But his son's gift as an artist exposes them to a danger that cannot be contained.