Revolutionary Paris, 1798. Adventurer Ethan Gage - gambler, sharpshooter and pupil of the late Benjamin Franklin - wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Within hours he is framed for murder and, facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, he barely escapes France with his life, choosing to accompany the ambitious young general Napoleon Bonaparte on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt. With Horatio Nelson's fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. But even as he hurtles into war, Gage is pursued by shadowy enemies who seem determined to lay their hands on the baffling medallion, and the powers it could unlock, at all costs. In a race against time and terrain, he must find the answer to one of history's greatest riddles, before it is too late.