Bruno Courreges is thrilled when he receives an invitation to the lavish birthday celebration of his childhood hero, World War II flying ace Marco the Patriarch Desaix. But when the party ends in the death of one of Marcos longtime friends, Gilbert, it turns into another day on the job for St. Deniss chief of police. All signs point to a tragic accident, but Bruno isnt so sure, for there is more to the Desaix familys lives and loyalties than meets the eye. Theres Victor, the Patriarchs son and Gilberts sometimes rival, and Victors seductive wife, Madeleine, whose roving eye intrigues Bruno even more than her fierce political ambitions. Not to mention the Patriarch himself--did his postwar Soviet ties intersect too closely with Gilberts career in Cold War intelligence? As Brunos entanglement with the Desaix family becomes more complicated, his inquiries into Gilberts life will become a deadly threat to his own.