Thronging with princes, diplomats, beautiful heiresses and international conspirators, the sumptuous suites and corridors of the Grand Babylon are buzzing with gossip, intrigue — even murder. The action opens (and swings from one cliff-hanger to the next) when Theodore Racksole, a New York railroad millionaire with more money than sense, decides to buy up the Grand Babylon, 'for an amusement'