Albert Beauchamp disappeared just before Christmas in 1856. When he reappears more than a year later, he's in several pieces, packed in salt in a shipping crate in New Orleans. NYC inspectors Jasper Lightner and his partner, Hieronymus Law, are called in to investigate - but the further they dig into the wealthy financier's background, the dirtier the story gets. Following a trail that reaches back to the early 1840s, the detectives uncover a sordid litany of high society scandals. And the shadowy figure who knows their dirtiest secrets re-emerges with a devious new plan that goes far beyond simple blackmail.