The summer serenity on the Left Bank in Paris is shattered for retired Professor Ondine Jellicoe and her lover, Pavel Havel, by the arrival of two women from Ondineas pastatwo former students: one, with something to hide; one, with a troubling secret of her own and a talent for mischief that will threaten Ondine as well as others living on this usually quiet old cobblestone street. Fear of disclosure and the intent to do harm create a volatile situation that tears relationships apart and leads to murder. Ondine and Pavel find themselves embroiled in the investigation led by Commissaire Principal LoAc Belfont of the Brigade Criminelle. To find a brutal killer, Belfont and his team are confronted with the daunting task of unraveling the web of lies and dissemblance that conceals the deadly secrets hidden behind the gate of 17 rue Servandoni.