In Ostia, Falco appears to be enjoying a relaxing holiday. But when his girlfriend, Helena, arrives carrying a batch of old copies of the Daily Gazette—with the intention of catching up on the latest scandal—Falco is forced to admit his real reasons for being there. "Infamia," the pen name of the gossip columnist for the Daily Gazette, has gone missing.

In Ostia, Falco appears to be enjoying a relaxing holiday. But when his girlfriend, Helena, arrives carrying a batch of old copies of the Daily Gazette—with the intention of catching up on the latest scandal—Falco is forced to admit his real reasons for being there. "Infamia," the pen name of the gossip columnist for the Daily Gazette, has gone missing. His fellow scribes have employed Falco to bring him back from his drunken truancy. Before long, Falco's enquiries lead him into the world of piracy and the discovery of criminal traditions long believed dead. Is this the right path toward finding Infamia? Why would pirates have taken him? And if they have, will he be found alive?