The Warring States Conundrum

.

Winston Sage, MD, an epidemiologist, and his wife Julia move to New Mexico for a

peaceful retirement in picturesque, artsy Santa Fe. At a welcoming party, as a way of

introducing himself to the new community, Sage boasts of his experience in tracing

people. A neighbor hears about this and asks Sage for help in finding his wife who has

recently disappeared. Sage, a medical detective who always wanted to play a real

detective, gets involved, thereby opening a Pandora’s box of life-changing escapades.

Sage becomes obsessed with trying to find the missing wife. He learns that she is an

owner of a successful gallery on Canyon Road, specializing in ancient Asian art. He also

learns that she recently acquired expertise in Chinese ceramics of the Warring States Era

(435-221 BCE) under the mentorship of a high-ranking Chinese-American nuclear

scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratories. As Sage persists in nagging everyone

with questions, the FBI warns him to stay away from the nuclear scientist, a top security

figure. At this point, an unexpected attempt is made on Sage’s life and he is then taken

into protective custody. In a surprise ending, the long sought-after Los Alamos mole is

uncovered.