Paris France, 1815 A.D. The story takes place in the early days of Napoleon's return from his exile in Elba. In the chaos, confusion and struggle between Royal and Loyalists to Napoleon, one man has gained access to the prized and storied Vatican Archives which Napoleon seized on his campaign in Italy years before. From that cache a rare and treasured book has been recovered, missing for centuries and returned to its original owner the enigmatic Marquis Jean-Marc Baptiste de Rennes. As Napoleon's man strives to find him to benefit from his secret resources, members of the newly re-instituted Holy Roman Inquisition, who are also ancient enemies in pursuit, track their man to the iconic medieval city of Toulouse. Meanwhile, the marquis-also known as the legendary and mysterious Count de Saint Germain-must complete an alchemic quest for knowledge he began centuries before in Alexandria, so that others may share the gift he has had for eons.