Andrew Caruso has been a second-hand book dealer in Rome for thirty years when a collection of thirty-year-old photographs changes his life forever. He finds the photos when clearing up the possessions of his ex-lover, Michel; the images - possibly from police archives - are fascinating, but when Andrew and his artist friend Daniela decide to launch an exhibition, the police raid the shop the day before the opening, seizing the display with surprising violence. In his quest to find out more about the pictures, Andrew crosses paths with Alessandro, a journalist who knows more about their history than Andrew can imagine. But Alessandro offers hope, as well as information: hope, in a world where kidnap, subterfuge and even murder are the norm; a world of criminal intrigue in which no one is safe, or above suspicion Meanwhile, in a cellar, a kidnapped girl hopes desperately for rescue