Beginning in 1896, the first Baron Empain built both the Paris Metro and an empire from France to Belgian to Egypt that his grandson, Edouard (aka Wado) would inherit, diversify, and expand in the 1960s and 70s. But by 1978, the world had turned against industry and wealth, with high-profile kidnappings like Patty Hearst's happening around the globe. Alan Callioll, then a small-time gangster who had grown up in the underbelly of Paris, saw an opportunity. But when a kidnapping goes awry, the 2 million francs ransom Callioll hoped for begins to slip through his fingers.