"He left Venice, fleeting a scandalous love affair. He was 17 - only a boy - but he would travel to China in a thrilling odyssey across the vast expanse of Asia, one of the first to witness the exotic splendors of the East. He would be a guest at Xanadu, the legendary palace whose sophisticated wonders would stun "civilized" Europe. And he would become a man - an ally of the fabled Kublai Khan - in a time filled with romance and breathtaking adventure"--GoodReads.