For six years, Nicholas Greer has been working on a biography of the late British painter, Frank Spira. Then comes the call that changes his life forever. Former art critic Barb Segal informs Nick that she's just bumped into Spira's ex-lover, Jacob Grossman: who disappeared in 1972 and has never been seen since - until now. When Nick tracks him down in New York, Grossman mentions a mysterious painting, The Incarnation, which Spira was alleged to have painted in Tangier in the late 1950s. If it exists, this painting would be worth over USD6 million. An hour after this meeting, Grossman is brutally murdered. A prime suspect in the ensuing police investigation, Nick's only hope of proving his innocence is to find out the truth about The Incarnation. What exactly happened in Tangier in 1957? And just who is the sinister Collector who seems to be shadowing Nick? The truth about Spira's elusive masterpiece is more horrific, more shocking than Nick could ever have imagined.