In the late Victorian days, a large amount of gold is arriving unannounced on the cargo ship The Empress of India. Yet the impossible happensthe shipment of gold disappears en route. Sherlock Holmes, brought in by Her Majestys Government, knows that only one man is both diabolical and clever enough to pull off such an outlandish, daring, and, yes, theoretically impossible crime: Professor James Moriarty. Moriarty, however, had nothing to do with the crime and yet finds himself under siege from all sides. To regain his peace, Professor Moriarty takes it upon himself to locate the missing gold. But the gold is only the exposed tip of the iceberg and he soon finds himself matching wits with a mind asor perhaps even morenimble than his own.