Fandorin receives a phone call to say a woman is in great danger. Eliza Altairskaya-Lauanten, the lead actress in a Moscow theatre troupe, is the estranged wife of a descendant of Genghis Khan. Her ex-husband has vowed to kill anyone who courts her, and has apparently already killed two men. But the mystery deepens when strange messages begin arriving at the theatre and another killer appears to be in the frame.
When Fandorin watches Eliza on stage for the first time, he falls desperately in love with the actress... But can he solve the case - and win over Eliza - without attracting the attentions of the murderer he is trying to find?
