It is 1797. The Old Powers of Europe tremble before the newly arisen Republic of France. In the little Prince-bishopric of Erzberg a former rebel, Michel Wéry, has taken service as a spy to fight the Revolution that he feels has betrayed him. The young Maria von Adelsheim seeks Michel's help to find the truth about the death of her brother. But Michel has a price: Maria must go to the French-occupied Rhineland to retrieve a certain package from the hand of a stranger. The mission is one of great danger, and the prize is a message of doom. The Lightstep is a classic in the making - a tale of men and women living in the fog of war, where the decisions they take are fashioned from the chaos in which they are born. It is a profound meditation on the corruption of ideals and a stirring pie