Prologue, Chapters 1, 2 Summary

The story begins with the curator of the Louvre Museum in Paris, Jacques Sauniere, pulling a Caravaggio painting off the wall in the museum, which sets off the alarm and initiates a thief containment system within the museum. He is now separated from an attacker by a gate of iron bars. The albino attacker draws his gun and demands to know the truth about where "it" is. Sauniere lies to him like he had rehearsed many times. The albino has been told the same lie by "the others" and becomes impatient. He takes aim and shoots Sauniere, hitting him in the stomach. Sauniere, knowing that no one would be able to get to him before he died, knows he must pass on his secret. He uses all of the strength left in his body to complete the task now before him...