Antiquities dealer Malachi Rector hunts down artifacts all over the world, possessing a knack for sensing “the soul” of an object. After his upscale Manhattan store is destroyed in a fire, Rector is hired by millionaire Amble Dexter to investigate a series of events and document them in his meticulous way. The first is the death of a young woman in Venice, whose loss proves to have great hidden significance. It appears that Dexter and his associates are playing with the fabric of life, and even Rector himself is part of a larger pattern. Now Malachi must discover the truth before deciding whether to play his pre-scripted role or try to change the outcome.