Italie 1609. Accusé de meurtre, Le Caravage a fui Rome et s’est réfugié à Naples. Soutenu par la puissante famille Colonna, Le Caravage tente d’obtenir la grâce de l’Église pour revenir à Rome. Le Pape décide alors de faire mener par un inquisiteur, l’Ombre, une enquête sur le peintre dont l’art est jugé subversif et contraire à la morale de l’Église.

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Italy 1610. Caravaggio is both one of the most brilliant painters of his time and a rebel against Church rulings that dictate how religious subjects are represented. Having been informed that he depicts prostitutes, thieves and vagabonds in his work, Pope Paul V orders the Vatican secret service to investigate, to decide whether to grant the clemency for which the painter has petitioned since being sentenced to death for the murder of a rival in love. The investigator – known as The Shadow – begins the inquiry that will lead him to discover the conflicting vices and virtues of the artist whose life — or death – lies in his hands.