"New Year's Day, 2000. Hunters, in a forest in the Jura, stumble upon a half-circle of dead bodies lying in the snow. A nearby holiday chalet containing children's presents and decorations indicate a seemingly ordinary Christmas. Searching for clues, the judge, Dominique Carpentier and Commissaire Andre Schweigen find a strange leather-bound book, written in mysterious code, containing maps of the stars. The book leads them to the Composer, Friedrich Grosz, who is connected to every one of the dead. And so the pursuit begins. Carpentier and Schweigen are drawn into a world of complex family ties, ancient cosmic beliefs and seductive, disturbing music. Carpentier prides herself on her ability to expose frauds and charlatans, likes to win. Has she met her match in the Composer?"--Book cover.