Le Guignolo

Alexander Dupre is released from prison ahead of schedule for good behavior and immediately heads for a fast-paced new life. He vows to make up for lost time, using charm and deception to stay ahead of trouble. The return to freedom marks the first step in a long string of cons.

He boards a cruise ship under the guise of an Indian prince and blends in with the jet set. The voyage becomes a playground for his scams and a cover for his next moves. Luxury and danger mingle as he plots from within the social circle of the voyage.

On the ship, he meets Pamela George Eagleton, a rich wife in straitened circumstances. He agrees to help by buying her diamonds, paying with counterfeit bills, and testing his luck against high-society targets. The encounter seeds a partnership born of mutual cunning.

Alexander discovers the stones he intends to acquire are fake, and Pamela turns out to be Sophie—a fellow fraud. Realizing they share the same code of deceit, they decide to team up for more ambitious scams. They leave the ship together, already plotting the next move.

Sophie is to seduce the Duke of Helmuth von Nassau, while Alexander pretends to be her brother and stages a bankruptcy-induced suicide. The plan hinges on the Duke's sympathy and a rapid infusion of funds. The attempt backfires when the Duke offers real money, complicating their scheme.

Frustrated by the Duke's unexpected proposal, Alexander abandons the original plan and sets his sights on Venice. He decides to pursue a new path, leveraging different schemes and networks. The move marks a shift from on-board cons to a broader international hunt for wealth.

On the plane, a passenger asks him to carry a bag for his mistress to avoid questions at customs. He agrees, hoping for a quick favor. Upon arrival, he witnesses the murder of the bag's owner, a brilliant physicist and mathematician who has developed a potentially revolutionary fuel.

The victim's microfilm contains a secret fuel technology that arouses the ire of Arab oil tycoons who want it suppressed. With the invention now tied to Alexander through the bag, the hunt for him intensifies. The stakes shift from petty scams to a global pursuit of a dangerous secret.

The hunt for Alexander begins in earnest, and he adopts the alias viscount de Valombreza to move through European circles. The disguise helps him dodge suspicions as he travels from city to city. Each encounter becomes a risk as pursuers close in.

Alexander reaches Venice and heads to a hotel where he has a meeting with a Japanese buyer. He intends to sell a fake painting by Canaletto, maintaining the veneer of a legitimate art deal. The Venice stop marks the latest pivot in his monetization of the secret.

In Venice he relies on the new alias and continues to maneuver through conversations and deals to stay ahead of pursuers. The Canaletto sale and the web of fakes illustrate his growing confidence and risk tolerance. His world has become a high-stakes game of deception and intrigue.

As the plot thickens, oil magnates and other players close ranks around the secret at the heart of the story. Alexander's globe-trotting con has escalated into a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with dangerous interests. The timeline hints at a climactic confrontation in the near future.