In Belle Epoque Paris, British journalist Percy Welles hires the beautiful and eccentric Georges Seigneur to help him run a news wire service. Georges draws Welles into an examination of the notorious Dreyfus Affair, the case of a French officer unmasked as a traitor and a spy. But Welles has a secret, one he cannot reveal to Georges: he has been sent to Paris by the British government to run an agent of his own. Torn between his love for Georges and his duty to his country, Welles attempts to strike a balance between them. Meanwhile, French Lieutenant Andre Durand joins a legendary colonial officer on a secret mission into the heart of equatorial Africa. The small band of adventurers intend to march three thousand miles across the dark continent to reach their objective, from whence they mean to expel the British from Africa. When Welles learns of Durand's mission, he must choose between his duty to his country, his love for Georges and his own conscience. The Mortality in Lies recreates the intrigue of late 19th century Europe, the age of the Great Powers and the struggle for colonial empire. It is a scrupulously researched work based on the events of the two great political crises of late 19th-century France.