Private investigator AimĂ©e Leduc has been introduced to the Cao Dai temple in Paris by her partner, RenĂ© Friant. He urges her to learn to meditate: she could use a more healthful approach to life. The Vietnamese nun Linh has been helping AimĂ©e to attain her goal, so when she asks AimĂ©e for a favorâto go to the Clichy quartier to exchange an envelope for a packageâRenĂ© prompts AimĂ©e to agree.
But the intended recipient, ThadĂ©e Baret, is shot and dies in AimĂ©eâs arms before the transaction can be completed, leaving AimĂ©e with a wounded arm, a check for 50,000 francs, and a trove of ancient jade artifacts.
Whoever killed Baret wants the jade. The RGâthe French secret serviceâa group of veterans of the war in Indochina and some wealthy ex-colonials and international corporations seeking oil rights are all implicated. And the nun, Linh, has disappeared.