Real Estate developer Stuart Barlowe wants to hire Tom to make an exact copy of a rare 500 year old Renaissance map. Tom sees this as a way to earn the money he needs to make the restitution for his side in the theft. Although, according to the terms of his parole, he is not permitted to leave the country, he allows himself to be smuggled out of the country in order to research the map in England and Italy. He isn’t sure whether Barlowe wants a duplicate copy of the map or a forgery, but he is willing to undertake the job in order to find his way out of debt. Along the way, Tom rekindles his romance with Barlowe’s daughter Allison. The two trail across Europe, including a perilous pursuit over the Alps, in their effort to find the truth behind the story of the map and Barlowe’s desire to own it.

This is a story full of suspense, with many twists and turns to confuse the reader. The chase across the Alps is a spine tingling one. The characters are well portrayed. Tom and Allison are a couple on the run who engage our sympathy