Plague Flowers

Autumn 1710. The plague spreads its black wings over Stockholm. Even the most privileged homes in the city are not protected from the disease, which some consider a punishment from God. Magdalena and Ebba's mother dies, and the girls are sent to wait out the epidemic at the Svardtamm castle, where their aunt, Baroness Katarina, lives. Though she is their mother's twin sister, she turns out to be her complete opposite—a ruthless and domineering hypocrite. The baroness has a sixteen-year-old stepson, Axel, but he has not been seen for a long time; the sisters are forbidden to even ask about him. One night, Magdalena accidentally meets Axel, and they become a source of comfort and support for each other in the harsh and dark castle, which holds many terrible secrets.