It is written in an unknown language and illustrated with enigmatic drawings. First surfacing in the court of Rudolph II of Bohemia, the Voynich Manuscript has developed a global cult following of cryptographers, none of whom has been able to crack its code.

But rumors abound: the Bohemian court also gave refuge to two of the greatest, and most controversial, scientific minds of all time. Could the manuscript be codified findings, written in a special language to conceal scientific discoveries from the Church and its brutal Inquisition?

When a key to unlocking Voynich is discovered in the church where a young Jesuit teaches, he suddenly finds himself at the center of a centuries-old mystery . . . uncovering secrets both ancient and modern.