For many centuries now, the palace of the most ancient and richest family in Iraq has had an ominous reputation. For many centuries now, the al-Kallis have owned a precious manuscript depicting fantastic animals supposedly living in Eden. The Iraqi multimillionaire entrusts the young art critic Elizabeth Cox with restoring the book - and unraveling the secret hidden in it. But it would be a mistake to consider Mohammed al-Kalli an innocent philanthropist and disinterested patron of the arts. What a mistake it would be to consider the animals depicted in his book to be non-existent...