A decade after the events chronicled in Conquering Venus and Remain In Light, Irène Laureux, Martin Paige and Christian Kigali are confronted by a journalist who has uncovered their connection to the Paris underworld. Meanwhile, a plot by the chief of police, Michel Arnaud, to stem the tide of immigrants ensnares Christian's father and brings unrest to the City of Light. And in Memphis, Diane Jacobs finds herself on the verge of divorce, caring for her elderly father and, once again, on a collision course with former student David McLaren, whose self-destructiveness threatens Martin's life half a world away.