Malachi Rector is an antique dealer who travels the world hunting down artifacts. After his upscale Manhattan store is destroyed in a fire, he is hired by billionaire Amble Dexter to investigate a series of events and document them in his meticulous way.

The first case is the death of a young woman in Venice, found hanging from a bridge. As Rector investigates her life, he discovers that her interrupted path had hidden significance, and that Dexter and his associates are playing with the fabric of life in ways he never imagined.

Rector also learns that he is part of a larger pattern. He must determine who is responsible, what their intentions are, and whether he will follow a pre-scripted role or try to change the outcome.