In a place where seeing what is right in front of you can be a serious crime, Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Bes?el Extreme Crime Squad must solve the mystery of a young woman's murder. His investigation will bring him face to face with the fringe groups who simmer with hatred for each other beneath the surface of the city of Bes?el and her sister city, Ul Qoma. All the while, he risks retribution from the secretive entity that maintains the border between the two.