In 1766, at the age of fifteen, Francois Huber learns that he is going blind. As the darkness descends he sets his mind on an extraordinary scientific inquiry - into the violent and sexually competitive world of the bee. He teaches his manservant to observe in his place and together they document their astonishing findings, with extraordinary obsessiveness and insight. Set against a backdrop of the scientific and intellectual idealism of the Enlightenment, Sara George's fascinating new novel is a story of passion, knowledge and human limitations.