Commissioned in 1750, the Palazzo Venier was planned as a testament to the power and wealth of a great Venetian family, but the fortunes of the Venier family waned and the project was abandoned with only one storey complete. Yet in the early 20th century, the unfinished Palazzo's quality of fairytale abandonment and its potential for transformation attracted and inspired three fascinating women at key moments in their lives: Luisa Casati, Doris Castlerosse, and Peggy Guggenheim. Each chose the Palazzo Venier as the stage on which to build her own world of art and imagination, surrounded by an amazing supporting cast, from d'Annunzio and Nijinsky to Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton, to Yoko Ono. Mackrell tells each life story vividly in turn, weaving an intricate history of these legendary characters and the unfinished Palazzo that they all at different times called home.