Istanbul - in antiquity, called the Land of the Blind - is a city where old and new collide, and the fallout can be deadly... In the ruins of the Constantinople hippodrome lies a body: a woman, clutching a piece of red stone. She's recently given birth, but there's no sign of the baby.

Inspector ÇetinIkmendiscovers she was Ariadne Savva, a Byzantine specialist on a crusade to protect the historic areas of Istanbul that property developer Ahmet Öden seeks to destroy and rebuild. As Ikmensearches for the lost child and the facts behind Ariadne's death, the people of Istanbul rise up in protest against their government in Gezi Park. Amid the chaos, Ikmenand his colleague Mehmet Süleymanmust unravel a tale of ancient hostility and modern desires, to find the truth concealed within the secret history of their antique city.