The author weaves together a story about the creation of the famous tapestries, depicting noble women and the unicorn. Nicolas des Innocents (the name is ironic in this story) is commissioned by a wealthy lord to paint designs for a set of tapestries. Nicolas is very talented, but he has a roving eye and soon falls for Claude. She returns the affections but there is a problem: she's the oldest daughter of the nobleman Jean Le Viste, Nicolas' current employer. The story goes from the painting of the tapestries, and the efforts of the two to meet, through the weaving and finishing process (where we meet the family of weavers who will work from the paintings to create the tapestries). I love the details, such as how the colors are created, the differences between painting and weaving the painted scene. The cast of characters is intriguing and generally sympathetic. I even felt (a little) sorry for Nicolas at the end.