This is the story of the world’s largest diamond—Aasma-i-Noor (sky of light). This rare red jewel of incomparable beauty surpassed its sister stones—Koh-i-Noor (mountain of light) and Darya-i-Noor (sea of light)—all mined from the same womb of the Kollur mine in Golconda. This was a diamond with a far more violent history than her sisters. Her existence was zealously guarded down the ages by a select circle. Over time, even her name disappeared from all historical texts, bards’ tales and living memory itself. The modern-day search for the lost jewel begins in two different corners of the world, involving a British research scholar in London and an Indian historian in Calcutta. The British scholar finds mention of the Aasma-i-Noor in the documents left behind by Sir Robert Clive. The historian from India is the descendant of a Raja, who was Clive’s friend and confidante. The Battle of Plassey in 1757, the downfall of Nawab Siraj-ud Daulah, the death of Clive and the treachery of Mir Jafar, all combine to create a maze of cryptic clues and devilish dead ends for the unlikely partners. They plough forward, and just when the end is in sight, an implacable adversary threatens everything