Paris, 1860s. For Mimi Bisset, survival is everything on the streets of Paris. She tries to forget the pain of losing her daughter Colette, who was born out of wedlock and forcibly given away to a rich family. But Mimiās world turns upside down after a chance encounter with handsome artist Ćdouard Manet. Boldly posing for portraits on Manetās chaise longue, Mimi feels a wild freedomāand as Manet teaches her how to layer the vivid paints on canvas herself, a passion grows between them that breaks all the rulesā¦ At Manetās side, Mimi gets caught up in his world. They dance all night at Parisās new can-can clubs and drink absinthe at masked balls. But one day, strolling by the Seine on her loverās arm, Mimi catches a glimpse of familiar green eyesā¦itās Colette, with a family who Manet knew all along. Although sheās reeling that the man she loved kept such a secret from her, Mimi is filled with hope sheāll finally get her daughter back. But when a terrible rumor begins to circulate about Mimi, the only place she has to go is back to the slums. Destitute, hungry and alone, can Mimi clear her name? Or will her heart shatter all over again when she loses her daughter for a second, final time? Fans of Marie Benedict and Chocolat and anyone who dreams of springtime in Paris will adore this utterly captivating novel inspired by true stories of a group of radical painters who changed the art world foreverāand the forgotten women who were their muses.