A botched assignment leaves Parisian P.I. Aimée Leduc in possession of a cache of priceless Vietnamese jade. The jade's history is steeped in colonial bloodshed-and someone is willing to spill even more blood to get it back

Private investigator Aimée Leduc has been introduced to the Cao Dai temple in Paris by her partner, René Friant. He urges her to learn to meditate: she could use a more healthful approach to life. The Vietnamese nun Linh has been helping Aimée to attain her goal, so when she asks Aimée for a favor-to go to the Clichy quartier to exchange an envelope for a package-René prompts Aimée to agree. But the intended recipient, Thadée Baret, is shot and dies in Aimée's arms before the transaction can be completed, leaving Aimée with a wounded arm, a check for 50,000 francs, and a trove of ancient jade artifacts.

Whoever killed Baret wants the jade. The RG-the French secret service-a group of veterans of the war in Indochina and some wealthy ex-colonials and international corporations seeking oil rights are all implicated. And the nun, Linh, has disappeared.