The novel is a futuristic pulp thriller, a kind of Dashiell Hammett in cyberspace. The action takes place in a "brave new world" of the future, called "Svetlopiv", where crime has become the new and only art form. The main character, gangster and unrivaled marksman Dante Elbow, removes all obstacles that stand in his way to take possession of Eddie Gamet's latest book, a cyber masterpiece with mysterious powers.