When art historian and stolen art and artifacts sleuth Michael Bennington arrives in Paris to give a lecture on the famed 'Mona Lisa,' he is approached by a young Russian curator from the Louvre, Natalie Sherbakova, who invites him to a private meeting with the museum's general director. Once there, it is revealed to him that when the 'Mona Lisa' was stolen back in 1911, what was found and returned to the museum was simply a copy, a fake. And that copy, unbeknownst to the public, has been on display at the Louvre ever since. Now, Soviet-era declassified documents purport that the original is actually hidden somewhere in Russia, and it is Bennington's assignment, along with curator Sherbakova, to delve into the heart of the Russian hinterland, find the masterpiece and bring it back safely to the Louvre in total secrecy. This is a world of assassins, multiple twists and turns and FSB (former KGB) political intrigue.