It is 1847, and Paris is edging closer to its next revolution, but somethingis also astir inside Mont Dragon in the Ardèche. This is a place of annualpilgrimage for a band of enigmatic nomads, and also a place of interest to theambitious Bishop of Viviers. In spite of his distaste for travel, AugusteDupin makes the long southward journey, in the hope that he might be able tohelp an old friend, the evolutionist Claude Guérande. Guérande believes thathe has made discoveries in the caves of Mont Dragon that might cast newlight on the origin of humankind, and of life itself. Over the years,however, not everyone who has gone into the caves has come out again, andnot everyone who has come out has been unaltered...and 1847 promises to be acritical year, more dangerous than any before it. And when the bizarre flameflower begins to bloom, everything changes! Another great tale in the Auguste Dupin series.