Nathan and Erika have a chance encounter with Serge Dubois and his friends in lavender-drenched Northern Provence. Serge's mission is to stop helicopter test flights planned by a company in Aix en Provence - to begin once the French government's missile silos in the region are de-commissioned. Nathan promises to help. Flashback to Nathan's youth in Quebec province and his exploits growing up in Canada - including encounters with his teenage foe, Allan. After university, Nathan is exposed to some of the rich experiences and challenges associated with living and working in Bermuda and apartheid South Africa. Nathan's friend Pierre meets his future wife, Suzanne, when he coaches and plays for the Villard-de-Lans hockey team in France. Later on, in Toronto, Nathan and his boutique management consulting partner, Mike, work on governance projects in Russia, Tanzania and other global corrupt hot spots. At the same time, Nathan takes the initiative to attract a major resort and hotel chain to build upscale health spas in Northern Provence - as an alternative to helicopter test flights. Fast forward to news that arrives from Jacques in Paris of Serge's death in an auto accident that has left many questions unanswered. Nathan re-connects with his university friend, Pierre, in Avignon, and they decide to get to the bottom of the tragedy. As they dig deeper there are more questions than answers that emerge, so a private investigator, Louis, is engaged to ferret out the facts. Louis uses his vast military and police background to expose the truth and discovers that Serge's death intersects with Nathan's past.