Devastated by her lover's death in an explosion--on the same day an indigent student was shot and killed in sleepy Bratislava--Jana Mantiova is transferred to The Hague, headquarters of the international police force Europol. On the flight she encounters a retired magician, the dead student's uncle, who is determined to help Jana investigate his nephew's death. And his help is indeed needed as Jana faces an international criminal conspiracy emanating from Europol itself.