Former classics professor, Bertrand McAbee - an ambivalent P.I., is asked to investigate a fatal car crash in Ohio. The victim was a former professorial colleague of his. McAbee's involvement in this apparently simple investigation will find him ensconced in an extraordinary set of events that began just prior to World War I. A toy - the pony circus wagon - is embedded with a fortune in jewels along with a story and provenance of incredible dimensions. The toy is something to kill for and that's exactly what has been happening.