Frédéric Chopin, George Sand, and her two children escaped the winter of Paris in November 1838, settling in an abandoned monastery in Valldemossa, above Palma. There, Chopin completed one of the most revolutionary works of musical Romanticism - his 24 Preludes. This book's research follows the journey of the Preludes through the instruments that interpreted them, the pianists who brought them to prominence, and the traditions they represented. Special emphasis is placed on the local piano, which gained unexpected cultural significance during the Second World War, representing Chopin's music. The story of Wanda Landowska, a great 20th-century pianist, intertwines Chopin's past while simultaneously revealing the connection of music with the political and cultural history of Europe and the United States. Kildea's narratives, combining cultural history and novel, lead us on an unexpected journey through musical Romanticism.