In the winter of 1991, scholars from all over the nation converged on little Hammond, Iowa, to celebrate the work of the distinguished yet reclusive philosopher Erik Weber. Claire Sincliar was not among them. As an economics professor, she thought philosophy conferences were quite boring and had only agreed to attend a few social events to support her partner, Emma, the conference organizer.  But when Claire came across Weber’s body on an icy sidewalk just before the opening dinner, it was hard to stay uninvolved. As a scholar, Erik Weber was widely admired; as a human being, not so much. And the recently opened files of the East German secret police revealed shocking evidence about Weber’s past. Even Emma seemed to be hiding a relationship with Weber, whom she claimed not to have invited to the conference. Against her will, Claire is pulled into a tightening vortex of dead philosophers, secret betrayals, cheating spouses, and …frozen sperm.