The Place of the Skull

Vienna, 1923. Lev Dragina, an ex-Bolshevik, is hired by criminal kingpin, Max Strauss, to rescue his god-daughter from rivals in the Viennese slums. Continually tortured by recollections of the Great War, Dragina searches for a sense of belonging while desperately looking for Strauss’ god-daughter. The adventure that ensues, however, leads him into a maze of byzantine intrigues that involve a war for dominance in the Viennese underworld, the occult mysticism of the city’s forlorn neighborhoods and a Vatican quest to uncover the INRI inscription, the sacred plaque hung over the head of Jesus during the crucifixion. There is more to the abduction than the simple kidnapping of a gangster’s goddaughter and the keys that unlock the mystery behind her disappearance also mean salvation for Lev Dragina and his tormented soul.