As boys, George, the son of a Midlands vicar, and Arthur, living in shabby genteel Edinburgh, find themselves in a vast and complex world at the heart of the British Empire. Years laterone struggling with his identity in a world hostile to his ancestry, the other creating the worlds most famous detective while in love with a woman who is not his wifetheir fates become inextricably connected.In , Julian Barnes explores the grand tapestry of late-Victorian Britain to create his most intriguing and engrossing novel yet.