Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century the much-renowned Maurice Croisant personified a true master of the detective arts, at a time when its technology remained in its infancy. But the more he yearned for a prolonged rest from his well-acclaimed career, the more the publicity of a few ill-fated failures was bound to ignite his interest in doing just the opposite. To join in his latest venture, the old master agrees to take on an apprentice, a young doctor eager for a notable start to his own career. Dr. Jinsen is as much an admirer of his mentor's former accomplishments as he is a budding investigator in his own right. What begins as a convenient experiment progresses to an epic partnership spanning nearly twenty years and three continents. One searches for another taste of glories past, while the other searches for glory's onset. Has the great master lost his touch? Will his eager student find his footing amid the shadows of his great mentor, or better yet, those of his own doubts?