Former SB Inspector Jack Mowgley has taken enforced early retirement and is scraping a living as a private detective in Normandy. Recovering in a Cherbourg hospital after a hit-and-run attempt on his life, ex colleague and loyal friend Catherine McCarthy arrives with wine, cigarettes and news of an old flame. The wife of an old friend in the Met, Jen Cullan has taken her son to Bulgaria, where his father runs a highly successful business exporting precious golden artefacts from a country with more buried treasures than any other on earth. The problem is that Den Cullan has gone missing. His penthouse is empty and his luxury car and yacht sit unattended in the marina. Like an ageing knight errant, Jack flies to the rescue only to find himself embroiled with corrupt officialdom, the Bulgarian mafia and a multi-million euro fraud and scam to strip the country of its unique and priceless heritage.