The Gentleman Bastards are an elite crew of con artists operating in the city of Camorr, trained from childhood by the priest and master thief Father Chains. While they pose as a minor street gang - the Gentlemen of the Right People of Camorr - their true operation involves elaborate long cons targeting the wealthiest noble families of the city. This breaks the Secret Peace, an unspoken agreement between the criminal underworld and the nobility that protects the rich from being robbed. Led by Locke Lamora, with Jean Tannen as his closest partner and enforcer, the Bastards combine theatrical disguise, social engineering, and sheer audacity to pull off heists of breathtaking complexity. Their schemes are as much about the art of the con as the money - though the money is considerable. The crew's tight bonds, forged in a shared childhood of training, loyalty, and loss, are tested repeatedly as their ambitions attract enemies far more dangerous than they anticipated.