Anita Loos

Four separate stories are interwoven: the fall of Babylon, the death of Christ, the massacre of the Huguenots and a contemporary drama, all crosscut and building with enormous energy to a thrilling chase and finale.

Bachelorette showgirl singers Dorothy Shaw and Lorelei Lee are sailing to Paris, courtesy of Lorelei's millionaire boyfriend Gus Esmond, Jr. They're also being shadowed--thanks to Gus Sr.--by private detective Ernie Malone. Lorelei gets embroiled in a contretemps involving Sir Francis "Piggy" Beekman, outspoken Lady Beekman, and a tiara. Dorothy, meanwhile, becomes involved in a running flirtation with the detective. All's well that ends well, but...

Four separate, interwoven stories, unified by the common theme of man's inhumanity to fellow man. The Babylonian story deals with the fall of Babylon in 538 B.C. The Judean story treats the life of Christ. The French story centers on the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day in 1572. The modern story is set in an American mill town and the slum area of an American city.