London Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt was approached by childhood friend Matthew Desmond with a request for help. His father, Sir Arthur, recently died suddenly. Opium was found in the glass of cognac he drank before his death. Suicide? This is the opinion of many who knew Sir Arthur. Like, the old man had been out of his mind for a long time and kept talking about some kind of conspiracy... But his son is sure that this is murder. Matthew swore that vital information on Britain's colonial policy in Africa was being leaked from the Foreign Office. And it flows not just anywhere, but straight to the German embassy! And Sir Arthur knew about this... Pitt promises to find the culprit in the death of Desmond Sr. But he again cannot cope without his wife Charlotte...