The Crimson Heirlooms. One tangible - a priceless necklace called the Cross of Nantes. The other ephemeral - a secret hidden within the lyrics of a song. Each holds the power to change the course of history. But together, the price of ownership is death or salvation. 1832, Paris. Jake Loring is an American student living in the city during the turbulent march to revolution. Torn between the safety of going home to America and the passionate adventure of joining the Resistance, Jake foolhardily follows Paris into violent madness and soon finds himself being blackmailed by the Sphinx-like Monsieur Tyran to search for the Crimson Heirlooms... or die trying. 1776, France. The Heirlooms are born out of the drama unfolding in and around the dying manor of the Traversier Family and the Guerriers of Saint-Domingue. Furious betrayal, religious passion, illicit love and faltering honor between the men and women of both clans forge the Heirlooms and determine the fate of each family. Past and present intersect as Jake outruns the dangerous forces trying to stop him while sifting through the rubble of this half-century-old drama in order to find the clues that will lead him to the current location of the Heirlooms and to freedom. But at what cost to France? And his soul?