The Great Clear Out Sale: General Fiction

The most famous necklace in the world has finally been found… Bryher Finch’s life isn’t just a disaster, it’s a catastrophe, until a chance invitation to chart her family tree changes everything. As Bryher uncovers the ancestry she never knew about, she stumbles on the find of the century – Anne Boleyn’s ‘B’ necklace, as enigmatic as Henry VIII’s most...

A private eye is catapulted onto a riotous and continent-hopping journey that proves difficult to escape—the new novel from the visionary storyteller. Milwaukee 1932, the Great Depression going full blast, repeal of Prohibition just around the corner, Al Capone in the federal pen, the private investigation business shifting from labour-management relations to the more domestic kind. Hicks McTaggart, a one-time...

Empire of Gold is the seventh blockbusting adventure of Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase, crafted by the bestselling author of The Hunt for Atlantis, Andy McDermott. When archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, ex-SAS soldier Eddie Chase, are given the chance to work on an Interpol investigation into smuggled artefacts, they are stunned to realise that the artefacts hold clues...

Can two very different women put aside their differences to save the bookstore they love? The Japanese bestseller that kicked off a seven-book series - adapted for TV and 200,000 copies sold Bookstore Girls follows the story of Riko Nishioka, the assistant manager of the flagship Pegasus bookstore in Kichijoji. After working her way up from a part-time position, she...

An adult sequel to the beloved fan-favourite children's novel The Illustrated Mum. 'Sorry to wake you in the middle of the night, but we have a lady here who's not very well. She says she's called Marigold, Queen of the Sky?' Dolphin Westward spent her childhood as the supporting character in the story of her beautiful, wild, volatile mother Marigold....

An unusual and haunting love story from the acclaimed author of Samedi the Deafness. A VINTAGE CONTEMPORARIES ORIGINAL. With his debut novel, Samedi the Deafness, Jesse Ball emerged as one of our most extraordinary new writers. Now, Ball returns with this haunting tale of love and storytelling, hope and identity. When Selah Morse sees a young woman get hit by...

A beautiful novel of self-discovery and new beginnings set against the backdrop of Paris and the isolated French coast, from the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop. Claire Cousteau is one of France's most esteemed biologists, with a seemingly perfect family life, but she has become increasingly frustrated by her marriage and her husband's affairs. As the Cousteaus...

What you see with your eyes is not necessarily real. A lavishly illustrated edition of Murakami's classic short story. Katagiri found a giant frog waiting for him in his apartment. It was powerfully built, standing over six feet tall on its hind legs. A skinny little man no more than five foot three, Katagiri was overwhelmed by the frog's imposing...

Rae is ten years old, and she’s tough. She’s had to be: life with her mother has taught her the world is not her friend. Now suddenly her mum is gone and Rae is alone, except for her dog Splinter. Rae can do a lot of things pretty well for a kid. She can take care of herself and Splints,...

A gruesome case just got personal. DCI Jack Hawksworth returns in a gripping crime thriller where he must navigate the treacherous depths of one of London's most sinister black markets. MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DCI Jack Hawksworth is back, working on a high-profile case breaking in London. A calculating serial killer is on the loose, committing the most gruesome of...

Gripping, propulsive and intelligent, The Revisionists is a tour de force, an absorbing, unputdownable novel about ambition—and how we curate our own stories and rescript our memories in order to survive. Upper East Side, Manhattan, 2023: Christine Campbell, former journalist, turns on the television to watch a documentary paying homage to her Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted coverage of the unrest in 1999...

In this dazzling debut novel of love and secret histories, a young woman unearths the story of a lost Shanghai pencil company and a hidden family ability which will alter the path of her life forever. ‘Wildly inventive … Allison King is a talent to watch’ — LIZ MOORE, author of The God of the Woods Monica Tsai spends most...

Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband. Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone’s surprise but her own, she...

'Playful and witty, What A Time To Be Alive is a charming meditation on coming-of-age, privilege, and grief' Cecile Pin, author of Wandering Souls 'Jenny Mustard writes with honesty and wit about the strange, mundane, and wondrous aspects of youth' Aysegul Savas, author of The Anthropologists 'A beautifully plangent coming-of-age novel . . . will go straight to your heart'...

Waco, Texas, 1993. People from all walks of life have arrived to follow the Lamb's gospel—signing over savings and pensions, selling their homes, and shedding marriages. They've come here to worship at the feet of a former landscaper turned prophet who is preparing for the End Times with a staggering cache of weapons. Jaye's mother is one of his newest...

Song of the Sun God is about the wisdom, mistakes, and sacrifices of our past that enable us to live more freely in the future. Nala and Rajan, a young couple, begin their married life in 1946, on the eve of Ceylon’s independence from Britain. Arranged in marriage, they learn to love each other and protect their growing family, against...

From award-winning novelist Laurence Fearnley comes an intriguing story about recovery, reflection and reconnecting with ourselves and others. Following a disastrous family holiday, Libby and Curtis make a promise: if they ever visit the West Coast of the South Island again, it will be to stay at the majestic Grand Glacier Hotel. Twenty years later, Libby is recovering from cancer...

50th anniversary of Catch-22's publication. Yossarian lives! Explosive, subversive, wild and funny, 50 years on the novel's strength is undiminished. Reading Joseph Heller's classic satire is nothing less than a rite of passage. Set in the closing months of World War II, this is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian who is frantic and furious because thousands of people...

A powerful literary page-turner about two young people in a race against time to reach a monumental solar eclipse, from famed Australian novelist Inga Simpson. We haven't always lived like this . . . Fin grew up by an observatory, learning about telescopes and planets, inspired by the passions of her parents, then leaders in their fields of astrophotography and...

It's the biggest weekend of the year and everything is about to change - the thrilling, riotous debut novel from the Observer Best New Novelist. As Ballina prepares for its biggest weekend of the year, the simmering feud between small-time dealer, Cillian English, and County Mayo's fraternal enforcers, Gabe and Sketch Ferdia, spills over into violence and an ugly ultimatum....

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho, this beautifully bound book is a treasure for both new readers and long-time fans. Set in the timeless landscapes of Andalusia and the mystical deserts of Egypt, The Alchemist unfolds the captivating journey of Santiago, a humble shepherd with grand dreams. Santiago's life...

London has ground Daniel down. Grasping for an escape from the urban drudgery of his life, he is enticed by a free trip and the promise of ten thousand dollars, all for the simple delivery of a package for an acquaintance. Finding himself quickly ensnared in the murky netherworld of drug smuggling, Daniel’s life descends into a montage of casinos...

The unpublished, unfinished and unmissable writings of the unforgettable Peter Temple. Peter Temple started publishing novels late, when he was fifty, but then he got cracking. He wrote nine novels in thirteen years. Along the way he wrote screenplays, stories, dozens of reviews. When Temple died in March 2018 there was an unfinished Jack Irish novel in his drawer. It...

A page-turning literary mystery set in a small community, where family and class tensions threaten to erupt after a brutal attack on a young student. "The nights aren't too cold yet, lucky thing. Otherwise we'd be having a different conversation." Jessica Mowbrie, beaten and dumped in the bush like a sack of garbage and lying comatose in a hospital bed—lucky...

A thoughtful, charming and sensitive story about aging, resilience, and the delight of rediscovery. It's never too late for a new beginning. At 57, Ruth made a successful sea change: she relocated from the city to the country and opened Rosie's Cafe in the seaside town of Cutlers Bay. Business boomed, but five years on, the shine has worn off....

Imagine seeing your loving husband on a dating app. Now imagine that’s the best thing that happens to you all week … When Charlie sees a man who is the spitting image of her husband Oliver on a dating app, her heart stops. Her first desperate instinct is to tell herself she must be mistaken – after all, she only...

One of George Eliot's most ambitious and imaginative novels, Romola is set in Renaissance Florence during the turbulent years following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family, during which the zealous religious reformer Savonarola rose to control the city. At its heart is Romola, the devoted daughter of a blind scholar, married to the clever but ultimately treacherous Tito. His...

A GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST 2023 'You've never read anything like this.' – JULIA ARMFIELD Do you know what happened already? Did you know her? Did you see it on the internet? Did you listen to a podcast? Did the hosts make jokes? Did you see the pictures of the body? Did you look for them? It's been...

The Pigeon: Popular Penguins by Patrick Suskind tells the story of Jonathan Noel, a bank security guard, who has spent 30 years meticulously shielding himself from the chaos of people and unpredictable events. However, his carefully constructed world is shattered by an unexpected encounter with a glaring pigeon, plunging him into a state of fear and insecurity. This compelling narrative...

The exquisitely told, tragic tale of thwarted love that will stop you in your tracks Discover the exquisitely told tragic tale of thwarted love behind the major new film adaptation starring Harry Styles. It is in 1950s' Brighton that Marion first catches sight of the handsome and enigmatic Tom. He teaches her to swim in the shadow of the pier...

Flights is a series of imaginative and mesmerising meditations on travel in all its forms, not only the philosophy and meaning of travel, but also fascinating anecdotes that take us out of ourselves, and back to ourselves. Olga Tokarczuk brilliantly connects travel with spellbinding anecdotes about anatomy, about life and death, about the very nature of humankind. Thrilling characters and...

The TikTok sensation Addicted to You, now in a print edition with special bonus material! She's addicted to sex. He's addicted to booze... The only way out is rock bottom. Fall in love with Lily and Lo in this edgy new adult romance set in a world of lust, fame, swoon-worthy men, and friendships that run deeper than blood in...

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience – classics which will endure for generations to come. Open your eyes, and see what you can with them before they close forever. For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full...

Perfect for fans of Haruki Murakami, Ghost Cities is a profound and highly imaginative novel that cleverly draws on Chinese history to explore the absurdity of modern life and work. Ghost Cities—inspired by the vacant, uninhabited megacities of China—follows multiple narratives, including one in which a young man named Xiang is fired from his job as a translator at Sydney's...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books Fabien tonight was wandering over the vast splendour of a sea of clouds, but below him lay eternity. Inspired by his career as an aviator, Saint-Exupéry's soaring novel follows the journeys of three pilots delivering mail overnight. The author's beautiful, weightless prose is as haunting as his own disappearance in flight,...

'Binge-worthy… intimate, real, and really funny' KILEY REID 'Bitingly sharp, witty and multi-layered' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH 'Fierce, fantastically funny' CLAIRE LOMBARDO 'I loved this incendiary debut' EMILIA HART 'Exceptional … When a man treats a woman badly, what does he deserve?' JENNIE GODFREY A one-woman show. A one-night stand. A one-star review. Theatre critic Alex Lyons made his name from his...

If you had one chance to change history... Where would you go? What would you do? Who would you kill? It's the 1st of June 1914, and Hugh Stanton, ex-soldier and celebrated adventurer, is quite literally the loneliest man on earth. No one he has ever known or loved has been born yet. Perhaps now they never will be. Stanton...

A story of sisters, love and the power of music. 'Weiner is the undisputed queen of the fun yet thoughtful poolside read' Vogue 'I came for a Daisy Jones fix and left with a craving for more Griffin Sisters! The kind of immersive, uplifting read you'll clear the rest of your day for – just wonderful' Louise Candlish Fame comes...

Normal People meets The Dropout with a dash of Tomorrow x3 in this epic love story of two young Harvard students with a shared dream who are drawn into the vortex of American start-up culture. When Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry classroom at Harvard, they couldn't be more different—she's the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, and he's...

Shortlisted for the Fogarty Literary Award and the Children's Book Council of Australia Older Readers Book of the Year, this is a confronting and compelling read from the very first chapter. Both grappling with grief and loss, Briony and Ren are brought together in their hometown, where Ren has returned to care for his dying father and Briony remains hopeful...

Welcome to Green River. Five families on an annual camping trip, a mothers' group of fourteen years, children starting to look like adults, a father with his own mysterious agenda... He Would Never is a searing page-turner about the bonds we forge in the furnace of early motherhood, the trust we place in other adults, and the chaos that erupts...

Discover the thrilling final book in the blazing hot dark academia romance trilogy from USA Today bestselling author Roxy Sloane—perfect for fans of Ana Huang, Emily McIntire, and Lauren Asher! “Oxford, England. The city of dreaming spires, dark secrets... And desire.” I came to Oxford to avenge my sister, but instead, I found a web of lies. Ancient loyalties. Fortunes...

'One of the most exciting writers working in Ireland today' — SALLY ROONEY 'Lively, bighearted … an utter joy to read' — COLIN BARRETT 'Truly gorgeous … a writer of immense talent' — MICHAEL MAGEE 'Funny and heartbreaking' — FERDIA LENNON A stunning debut novel following a teenage boy as he comes of age on the west coast of Ireland,...

A moving exploration of family, migration, class, queerness and belonging… beautifully rendered JESSICA ANDREWS A deeply observant, perceptive writer JOANNA CANNON Evocative, layered and emotionally resonant… deserves to be on your reading list GLAMOUR Masterful… It will stay with you long after you finish it JJ BOLA ‘Love was a tightrope between freedom and control. He didn’t know how others...

The greatest adventure is coming back home. Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby, and she's very used to being given the stories that no one else wants. So, when her editor tells her that the city's Cossington Park development is being held up by a solitary resident on Hope Street who is refusing to leave, she knows she...

'It's time we name our kingdom!' he shouted over the wind. 'I say we call this place Happy Land. If this ain't the land of happy people, then where is it? Why not create our heaven right here on earth?' Nikki Berry hasn't seen her grandmother Rita in years. When she calls out of the blue asking Nikki to visit...

An intricately woven love story about mothers and daughters, and the ties—of both nature and nurture—that can never be broken. From the bestselling author of Star-crossed. Three Juliets THREE DRESSES . . . THREE DAUGHTERS . . . ONE SEARCH . . . In 1980, designer Claudie Miller is a household name. Girls are begging their mothers to make them...

"Shimmeringly intelligent and elegiacally intimate" - Yiyun Li "A mesmerising tale. Both heartbreaking and joyful" - Michael Cunningham A radiant novel of the longing that blooms between two boys over the course of one summer—about family, desire, and what we inherit—from celebrated author Tash Aw. When his grandfather dies, a boy named Jay travels south with his family to the...

From the bestselling author of Almond, The Devil Wears Prada meets The Office in this witty, humane, and ultimately transformative story of a group of young workers who rebel against the status quo. Jihye is an ordinary woman who has never been extraordinary. In her administrative job at the Academy, she silently tolerates office politics and the absurdities of Korean...

‘Wise and playful and tender and beautiful’ Bobby Palmer ‘So brilliant, so original and lovely and funny, that it reminds you of the point of reading’ Rebecca Wait Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures, this is a charming, witty and moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent. Little Alien...

From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and "master of the short story" (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection. The stories in Paul Theroux's fascinating new collection are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life's vanishing points—a moment when seemingly all lines running through one's life converge, and one can...

Our Wives Under the Sea meets The Bone Clocks in the most mesmerising novel of 2025—"this book will sneak into your dreams and haunt you". When two grieving strangers meet by chance in Osaka airport, they uncover a disturbing connection. Jake's best friend and Mariko's twin brother each died 6,000 miles apart, in brutal and unfathomable circumstances. Each encountered a...

Dazzling new story collection from the prize-nominated Sunday Times bestselling author of Romantic Comedy, American Wife and You Think It, I'll Say It, your next read from the instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author. 'Sittenfeld is in a league of her own' - Guardian 'One of my favourite authors' - Kate Atkinson 'Anything Sittenfeld writes, we'll read'...

Based on true events, this gripping historical novel set in Norway and Sweden in 1940 follows one of the first female US Ministers, Daisy Harriman, and her niece as the two are unexpectedly caught up in the German invasion of Norway. Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to do with her. She told herself that...

In January 1895, Henry James anticipates the opening of his first play, Guy Domville, in London. The production fails, and he returns, chastened and humiliated, to his writing desk. The result is a string of masterpieces, but they are produced at a high personal cost. In The Master, Colm Tóibín captures the exquisite anguish of a man who circulated in...

The first book in the bestselling and beloved fantasy series, the Magicians trilogy. Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. Obsessed with the fantasy novels he read as a child, he finds the real world just doesn't compare. Then one day it happens—he stumbles unexpectedly into a hidden world and is invited to join a very exclusive college, where he will...

Equal parts workplace comedy, home invasion thriller, and literary conundrum, The Royal Free is an exuberant, dark, wildly entertaining novel about death and copy editing by the author of the acclaimed A Mistake. James Ballard is a recently bereaved single father to a baby daughter and a medical editor tasked with saving the "third oldest medical journal in the world,"...

In the sweltering summer of 1976, the Ferrero family finds solace in a brief retreat to the verdant landscapes of Tigre, Buenos Aires. Osvaldo, a respected doctor, and his wife Yolanda, share joyful moments with their daughters—Julieta, the sensible one who resides in Miami, and Graciela, a passionate nineteen-year-old deeply in love with her fiancé, José. These idyllic days in...

You can run from your past, but not from the girls left behind. Nineteen years ago, Ruth-Ann Baker's childhood friend was murdered by convicted killer Ethan Oswald. Haunted by what happened, Ruth has long been convinced Oswald had other victims. But no one has ever believed her. After dropping out of college and failing to prove her serial killer theory,...

From one of Britain's best-loved and bestselling writers comes an intimate yet panoramic novel set in the 19th century. Born in 1799, Cashel Greville Ross experiences myriad lives—joyous and devastating, years of luck and unexpected loss. Moving from County Cork to London, from Waterloo to Zanzibar, Cashel seeks his fortune across continents in war and in peace. He faces a...

Two sisters. One secret. A journey to learn who they really are… The instant Irish number one bestseller by Cathy Kelly, Sisterhood, is a deeply moving and heartwarming tale of family, love, and self-discovery. From the windswept shores of Ireland to the sun-soaked beaches of Sicily, this novel takes you on an emotional journey that explores the unbreakable bonds of...

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood is a gripping tale of betrayal, resilience, and the complex bonds of female friendship. Set in modern-day Toronto, the book intricately weaves together the lives of three women, Tony, Roz, and Charis, who have all been profoundly affected by the enigmatic and destructive Zenia. Each woman has experienced Zenia's manipulative charm, which has left...

There is no denying the great Pellegrino and the charms of her series of novels set in Italy. Her characters eat, love, and talk a lot; always, the scenery is swoonsome. READINGROOM A dream wedding in Italy? It's the chance of a lifetime! Skye has been with Tim forever and the last thing she's thinking about is saying 'I do'....

Australia's favourite novel, now a major Netflix series, starring Travis Fimmel, Simon Baker, Phoebe Tonkin, Bryan Brown, and Anthony La Paglia. The bestselling, multi-award-winning, much-loved novel that has taken Australia, and the world, by storm is now a major international Netflix series. Brisbane, 1985: A lost father, a mute brother, a junkie mum, a heroin dealer for a stepfather, and...

Rachel Walsh has hit rock bottom. At twenty-seven, with a burgeoning addiction to recreational drugs, her life spirals out of control, leading her family to stage an intervention. They send her to Cloisters, Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic, where Rachel begrudgingly agrees to a stint in rehab. Her dreams of luxurious retreats are quickly shattered as she faces...

From the iconic author of the international sensation Crazy Rich Asians The multi-million copy bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshamsbury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel, is drowning in debt. The only solution, according to his mother, is for him to attend his sister's wedding and seduce a woman with money....

From the bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time come eight mesmerising stories moving between Greek myth and the near future to explore how we treat animals—and each other. From the bestselling author of The Porpoise come eight mesmerising stories exploring what, ultimately, makes us human. Mark Haddon weaves ancient fables into fresh and unexpected...

The breathtaking new novel from the bestselling author of Girl A ‘I couldn’t put this down’ Stacey Halls What really happened on Day One? Everyone has their own version of what happened to the school that day: The survivor, who escaped but is now trapped in a lie. The newspapers, hellbent on turning a tragedy into a spectacle. And the...

Francis Aschoff’s debut poetry collection is a time machine trip from the heights of first love to the yellow days of infancy, from crying in club bathrooms to a future not yet known. These poems are a magnifying glass, a tender eye and a flame thrower. They are love poems to the difficulties of love – love that is absent...

Kiss of the Spider Woman is described as 'a visionary work that breathed life into certain dimensions of human possibility long before society at large was prepared to imagine them,' according to Carolina de Robertis from the Los Angeles Review of Books. Valentin and Molina seemingly share little other than a cell in this queer classic ahead of its time....

In Fiasco, Kentucky, there is one rule: never fall for a Foxx brother. Any woman who did ended up dead. It wasn't just a rumour. It was my reality. I buried my wife along with too many secrets surrounding the night she died. Now, I'm a single dad with two priorities above everything else: raising my two girls and making...

In Fiasco, Kentucky, there is one rule: never fall for a Foxx brother. Any woman who did, ended up dead—or so the rumour goes. Townies call it a curse. But I've lived it, and I won't survive it again. I'm not a cop anymore, but I've seen enough danger to know that Laney Young, the beautiful stranger who just showed...

PRE-ORDER WISDOM CORNER, THE THRILLING NEW DAVID HESKA WANBLI WEIDEN NOVEL NOW. WINNER OF THE ANTHONY, BARRY, THRILLER, LEFTY AND MACAVITY AWARDS FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL ‘Harrowing and heartfelt, assured and highly accomplished. One of the standout thrillers of the year' CHRIS WHITAKER If you have a problem, if no one else can help, there’s one person you can turn...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKPEOPLE FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR THE DAVITT AWARD FOR ADULT FICTION A SHAMELESS BOOK CLUB PICK AN AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY GREAT READ ‘A powerful, well-crafted story’ – Sydney Morning Herald ‘A heart-wrenching yet hopeful tale.’ – The Sunday Age ‘A warm and generous read.’ – The Guardian ‘A fearless novel that reaches into...

Notting Hill meets Bridget Jones's Baby in this whip-smart, funny, emotionally charged contemporary fiction about messy pasts, second chances, and future families from a sparkling new voice. Melbourne teacher Netta Phillips is staring down the barrel of her fortieth birthday with months' worth of negative pregnancy tests, her relationship in the bin, and a mortgage she can't afford. Things aren't...

The much-awaited new novel from the Miles Franklin Award-winning author, Sofie Laguna. The Underworld is for every reader you know; thinkers, laughers, empaths, quirky folk, queer folk, nostalgists, the young and those getting on. Readers seeking a happy ending and anyone ready to feel. Anyone who has ever been fourteen. Martha Mullins is a misfit. Her mother is glamorous, aloof...

The Dazzling New Novel from the Master of Crime He had been here, that was clear from the marks in the dust. And he had been alone. In a dying town, Ro Crowley waits for her son on the evening of his 21st birthday. But Sam never comes home. His footprints in the dust of three abandoned houses offer the...

Pre-order the pulse-pounding new novel from queen of crime Martina Cole. 'The stuff of legend' Mirror 'The queen of crime' Woman & Home 'One of the best fiction authors around . . . spectacular' Closer ____________________ Camden 1962. When Rory Sheehan picks Maggie Riley as his own, her fate is sealed. What Rory wants, Rory gets - whether people like...

September 1905. At the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the ancient city of Smyrna, Scheherazade is born to an opium-dazed mother. At the very same moment, an Indian spy sails into the golden-hued, sycamore-scented city with a secret mission from the British Empire. When he leaves, 17 years later, it will be to the smell of kerosene and smoke...