Alexander, proud and impressed by Juan's triumphant campaign in Spain, sends his son to lay siege to the castle of Catherina Sforza, where his ignoble behavior and a startling turn of events bring to light his true colors. In Rome, Lucrezia schemes to get out of a planned marriage to a rich merchant of Genoa. And in Florence, Cesare and Machiavelli bear witness to Savonarola's calculated and destructive "Bonfire of the Vanities."