Liesl Weiss is happy to be the magic behind the curtain working in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke, Liesl is left in charge. She soon discovers the library's most prized manuscript is missing, but when she reports it to the police, she's told to keep quiet and to keep the library's doors open. Another librarian goes missing, and Liesl begins to investigate and finds herself coming face-to-face with the dark underbelly of the university.