In 1881, an old diary is found on the shelves of an antiquities shop in Victorian London. Hired to translate it from its original French is Julian North, a young file clerk for the London Times. He spends weeks poring over the brittle pages, uncovering the story of an ill-fated idealist, an epic sea battle, and an abandoned army lost in the Egyptian desert. But, hidden within a puzzling code, the diary holds secrets. A mysterious visitor and a night of violence soon reveal just how dangerous these secrets are - to Julian and to the world. From a safe but aimless existence, Julian is pulled into a fire-storm as grand causes clash around him on the world stage. It's a game of high stakes where, not only Julian's fate but the fate of nations, hang in the balance.