Tracking down random and mysterious clues to a chilling plan by an evil genius scientist, the novel's heroes are in a frantic rush, obsessed with saving humanity. An American professor and his clever companion conduct a desperate search against the breathtaking backdrop of Florence, Venice, and Istanbul. But the question hangs in the air - are all these efforts in vain? The entire novel is endless escapism and exploration of the pieces of a larger puzzle; and Inferno - the underworld described in Dante's The Maiden Comedy - pops up now and again with codes hidden between the lines and in mammoth Renaissance works.
