Loot is a spellbinding historical novel set in the eighteenth century, weaving together a hero's quest, a love story, and the coming of age of a young artist with an exuberant heist adventure. This narrative traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across two continents and fifty years, making for an irresistibly inventive storytelling experience from the imaginative mind of Tania James, who is at the height of her powers.

At the tender age of seventeen, Abbas's talents as a woodcarver catch the eye of Tipu Sultan, leading him to the palace to construct a grand tiger automaton for Tipu's sons, a commemoration of their return from British captivity. The journey of Abbas—and the wooden tiger he contributes to—reflects the tumultuous shifts of nations and empires devastated by conflict across India and Europe.

In the company of the renowned French clockmaker Lucien du Leze, Abbas refines his craft, picks up French, and encounters Jehanne, a French expatriate's daughter. Once Du Leze is allowed to journey back to Rouen, he takes Abbas under his wing as an apprentice. However, Abbas's European endeavor is met with the harsh reality that Tipu's palace has been pillaged by British troops, and the tiger automaton has vanished. To establish his worth, Abbas is compelled to reclaim the tiger from an English estate where it stands amongst a trove of looted treasures.