Michael Holme is a talented violinist. He is part of a successful quartet and has a beautiful girlfriend but he cannot let go of the past-especially of Julia, a pianist he loved and left ten years ago. Now Julia, married and the mother of a small child, unexpectedly re-enters his life and their romance lights up once again.

Against the magical backdrop of Venice and Vienna, the two confront the truth about themselves and their feelings, about the music that both unites and divides them, and about a devastating secret that Julia must finally reveal. An intense, lyrical, deeply stirring love story and one of the great novels on music, An Equal Music is another masterpiece from Vikram Seth.