When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder - a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction - all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.