After stealing one of his own forgeries from the Marquis of Gotham, Lovejoy is on the run. With a bounty hunter on his trail, he decides to flee the country and soon finds himself stealing away in the luxurious cruise ship Melissa - not as a stowaway but as a legitimate passenger. It's a stroke of luck, but Lovejoy soon discovers that his escape from the mainland has been masterminded by a group of criminals. Exactly what they want him to do, however, remains a mystery. As the ship moves into the Baltic and towards St Petersburg and the famous Hermitage Museum, an ally is murdered in broad daylight. Lovejoy can't help wondering who amongst the motley crew on board the Melissa he can really trust - and what is to become of him when his part in the plan is done...