Destined to be an art mogul, Avery Judson serves as an apprentice to an antique shop owner and leaves home to seek his fortune as an art dealer extraordinaire. Soon he stumbles upon a remarkable collection which projects him into an international field of obsessed dealers, collectors, and museum operatives who fiercely compete for art treasures worldwide. Then, in the wake of the collapse of major colonial powers and the emergence of new and independent nations in the 1950s, Avery is exposed to the aggressive adventurers relentlessly searching across international boundaries for masterpieces unearthed by the ensuing political upheavals. In the midst of this, he finds a fragment of an ivory mask and seeks to unite the piece with the original, which leads him into conflict, machinations, suspense, and unexpected romance. As Avery unravels the shrouded affairs surrounding each step he takes, he encounters a formidable array of passionate characters: an iron-willed and adversarial industrialist and his brilliant, co-dependent wife; a mysterious woman internationally involved in art intrigues; and a woman whose unique wisdom changes his life.