A priest has gone missing in Paris, and Bishop Blackie Ryan is sent to the rescue. The missing cleric is not just an ordinary Dominican friar, but the most popular priest in all of France. Popular because in a very short time he has become a television superstar, idolized by the people of France, a traditionally anticlerical country.

Bishop Blackwood Ryan heads to the university on the south side of Chicago to investigate the murder of a Russian Orthodox Monk. Yet the mystery surrounding his murder is simple compared to the international intrigue that develops around the case.

Archbishop Malachi Ryan has designs on the Diocese of Chicago despite the fact that the Most Reverend Blackie Ryan, himself recently appointed an archbishop, is currently in line for the post. Assigned by Cardinal Cronin to keep a close eye on his rival, Blackie travels to the Nolan family's lavish estate in Grand Beach, where he soon finds himself immerse in an entirely different dynastic struggle. Spike Nolan, chairman and founder of Aviation...