A young scholar, known as the cleverest woman in France, is delighted when a famous, radical philosopher agrees to teach her in exchange for lodgings with her uncle in Notre Dame. But what begins as a meeting of minds turns into a passionate, secret love affair, one that will send shockwaves through 12th-century Paris and incur terrible retribution.Fascinated by the true story of Heloise and Abelard, Arthur arrives in Paris nine centuries later to write a novel about them, intent on fleshing out their letters and records to bring Heloise out of history's shadows and to explore the couple's often strikingly modern ideas. To his surprise his daughter Julia agrees to visit, and to offer feedback as he goes along.Over the course of their animated discussions in Arthur's favourite bistro, the nature of the relationship between father and daughter emerges - a fond but strained one, ever since Arthur and his wife divorced. As Julia presses her father about the past, she begins to realise the emotional reasons behind his intellectual quest.In this profoundly thought-provoking novel, Melvyn Bragg breathes fresh life into one of history's greatest and enduring love stories, closing the gap between the 12th and 21st centuries as he shows why Heloise and Abelard matter today.