Ruhannah “Rue” Carew, who dreams of becoming an artist, has grown up listening to her father tell the story of how he came by a wooden box and its unusual contents, which include a bronze figure of a god and the diary of a departed friend of her father’s. One day Rue meets an unscrupulous man named Eddie Brandes, who is so taken with her that he hides his true nature in order to win the trust and regard of her and her parents, with an eye to marrying her. But neither Rue nor her parents suspect that Eddie is already married to an actress named Ilse Dumont. Rue learns the truth about Eddie under devastating circumstances and finds herself at a loss as to what to do with her life now. But with the help of her friend Jim Neeland, Rue finds herself crossing the Atlantic headed to Paris in order to pursue her dream and study art. Several years pass. It is the eve of the Great War. One day, Jim receives an urgent message that he is to find the box in Rue’s old house and bring it with him to her in Paris. Jim, unaware of how high the stakes are, what the significance is of the precious contents of the box, and just how far others are willing to go in order to keep it from reaching its destination, sets out for the adventure of a lifetime. During this adventure, his life and those of Ilse Dumont, Eddie Brandes, and Rue Carew - all four born under the “dark star” - intertwine in extraordinary ways. - Summary by Scarbo