Jeremy Faro is hoping for a pleasant break from the demands of his job when he takes a trip across Germany with his writer-companion Imogen Crow, but it is not to be. The life of the heir apparent of Luxoria is cruelly threatened, and Faro has no choice but to become involved. The boy is at boarding school in Scotland and Faro is delegated, by no less than royal command, to restore him to his troubled kingdom. Faro and his charge embark on a perilous journey where the threat of sudden death lurks around every corner and not even the safety of the Orient Express can protect them. Only the quick wit of Faro can avert potential disaster. To make matters worse, the Inspector has personal reasons for his anxiety over the fate of Luxoria's heir, for he knows a secret concerning the boy's birth, a secret relating to the time of the Grand Duchess's brief refuge in Edinburgh, a secret that could destroy them all...; The last enemy is, after all, death.