A highly valuable painting of dahlias by Henri Fantin-Latour has been stolen, and Allmen International Inquiries is commissioned to take on the investigation. This is most definitely a case for private investigator Johann Friedrich von Allmen, his assistant Carlos and his captivating life partner María Moreno, who has been enhancing the duo of late – and no less juicy than the two previous cases. The picture was already stolen property before it exchanged unrightful owners. And the old lady in whose possession it was until recently – Dalia Gutbauer, a very rich heiress and owner of a now slightly run-down luxury hotel – has enough money to simply buy a new Fantin-Latour without making a dent in her fortune. So why is she so attached to the picture? It takes Allmen a long time to see the slippery surface he is investigating, dealing with shady crooks as well as his own kind: experts in not having any money, with more demands than means. But there is one thing which is even more dangerous: aging men with young women.