The Katerina Icon

Could it really lead them to icons which once belonged to Catherine the Great, ruler of all of Russia two and a half centuries ago? The ancient Cossack swears that an icon given to him by his grandfather contains a code which will point to the secret hiding place of priceless icons which were looted from the imperial palace by Bolsheviks during the early years of the Russian Revolution. He gives his treasured possession to the two Australians who had rescued him from an icy death. They must decide whether there really is a secret concealed within the old man’s icon. They must decide whether these icons will be where they are alleged to be. They must decide whether they should take the risk and go back to Russia and perhaps recover the riches which might await them. Or is the story merely an old man’s fantasy, a tale told to him from his Cossack grandfather’s knee? And if they should find these icons, would the most favourite icon of Catherine the Great, The Katerina Triptych, be amongst them, and, if so, will it be real, or a fake?