This time the journey for private eye V.I. begins in a Chicago conference where angry protesters are calling for the recovery of Holocaust assets. There, a man steps forward to tell a story of a youth shattered by the Holocaust?a story which devastated V.I.'s friend and mentor, Lotty. Lotty was nine when she emigrated from Austria and now someone from her past has arisen unexpectedly, Paul Radbuka, but is he really who he claims to be? Desperate to help her friend, V.I. decides to investigate his past.