A mysterious object found in a dormant volcano will forever change the lives of Adrian and Keira. Together they embark on an extraordinary adventure which takes them from the banks of Lake Turkana in the heart of Africa to the mountains of China. They seek to reveal the object's hidden secrets and answer the age-old question: how did life begin? Keira is a passionate and ambitious archaeologist leading her first dig in the isolated Omo Valley in Ethiopia. When a sand storm destroys the site, she has no choice but to abandon her field work and go home: to Paris, to her sister and to the mundane city life she despises. She returns with an unusual stone, which was given to her by a local orphan boy. While visiting the museum where her sister works, a probing elderly professor takes a particular interest in Keira and above all in the talisman she wears around her neck. Adrian is an accomplished astrophysicist, who has taken a leave of absence from the illustrious Academy of Sciences in London to pursue his study of the stars in a remote observatory on the Atacama plateau in Chile. Ill-adapted to the altitude, he has to be rushed back to England before he can fully pursue his bold and unconventional research. Keira and Adrian's paths briefly cross while competing for an illustrious grant in London. Years earlier they had spent one brief, romantic summer together before going their separate ways. Keira leaves her necklace behind in Adrian's apartment, sparking his interest as a scientist and fuelling his hopes for a rekindling of old passions. With the help of a hapless administrator from the Academy, Adrian begins his own investigation of the stone's origins, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is not the only one interested in the mysterious object, and that the other party is determined to get hold of it at any cost. Adrian seeks out Keira who has returned to Africa. What innocently begins as a common pursuit of knowledge soon takes a dangerous turn when their guide is found dead. Despite heightening threats to their own safety, Keira and Adrian continue their search, which takes them across the world, from cutting edge laboratories to venerable museums, from forgotten Greek islands to monasteries hidden in the mountains. They follow maps written in the stars and clues buried within the earth, always guided by the slowly unraveling secrets of the strange object from Ethiopia. But the professor and his cohorts are always on their tracks and one step ahead... "A wonderful read" - Le Parisien "Over the years, Marc Levy has seduced millions of readers. What's his secret? He writes about quintessential themes, such as love, friendship, and the mysteries of life, in an accessible way." - Paris Match "A page-turning adventure story." - Nice Matin

The much-awaited sequel to The First Day "The legend goes that when you are in your mother's womb, you know all about the mystery of creation, the origins of the world until the end of time. When you are born, a messenger flies over your cradle and puts a finger on your lips so that the secret of life will never escape. The finger erases your memory forever and leaves a mark, which all of us have above our upper lip. All of us, except me. The day I was born, the messenger forgot to come and see me, and I remember everything." From the top of Ethiopian plateaus to the frozen lakes of the Northern Ural, Marc Levy's gripping novel concludes the breathtaking epic started with The First Day. Love is the ultimate adventure, but it can be dangerous. "Marc Levy's latest novel, The First Night, takes the reader around the globe. Levy signs a second fantastic adventure novel [following The First Day], which combines an action-driven, fast-paced narrative with a love story between the two main characters." - Le Parisien "In The First Night, love is a dangerous, exhilarating adventure, which brings together science, fantasy, police intrigue, and journeys across the world in a narrative written by a great admirer of Jules Verne." - Télé 7 Jours One of France’s bestselling authors, Marc Levy’s novels have been translated into 45 languages and over 27 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.