The south of France: playground of the rich, and a paradise for artists. But where there is money, there is also crime. Alexandre Marni, aka Aliocha, is in the midst of it all as a tattoo artist for VIPs and leaders of the Russian mafia. And he has his own claim to high society: the descendant of a Russian royal family that sought refuge in the Riviera during the revolution of 1917, he wants to take back what was stolen from them. To this end, he will don a new identity to infiltrate the world of organized crime and set things right, whatever the cost.

Ludwig has never been a soldier. A childhood injury left him lame in one leg. which has allowed him to largely sit out the war on the sidelines. as a translator. Fleeing his passionless marriage. he accepts an assignment in Japan. allowing him to return to the land of his youth. But the year is 1945. It is not a good time to be Japanese. or German... much less stationed in Hiroshima. Ludwig is tempted by love and. in furtively tampering with his translations of classified documents. by the chance to do something heroic. But none of that will save him...