Marie-Claire Bernard was the widow of a national hero and the daughter of a wealthy, politically powerful family and her murder threatened domestic consequences for the French Government. Eager to avoid uproar in the press, the Minister of Justice summons Gérard de Montclaire—the most renowned detective of the era—to assume a familiar role. Examining Magistrate, with sweeping powers to find and prosecute the killer. Montclaire soon learns that Marie-Claire was in possession of three rare and priceless porcelain bowls of the Tang Dynasty. The legendary bowls—called The Tears of Buddha—are now missing. A motive for murder?