This book has a total of 24 chapters, telling the story of three young painters in the Royal Academy of Painters in Rome. The book begins with the protagonist Mai Anqiu going to Rome to participate in the royal painter selection competition. The confident Anqiu met the orphan Jorah and the noble son Pug who also came to compete. The three became friends and agreed to become royal painters together, leaving their own paintings in the history of Rome. However, An Qiu among the three was unexpectedly unsuccessful, and among the painters selected, there were noble children who knew nothing about painting. Where will An Qiu go? Is there a place for him in the huge city of Rome? Why did he lose? What secrets are hidden in the triennial painter competition?