In Jonathan Lethem's acclaimed novel, the phantasmagoric world of the future is described as if the author had just returned from there. This world is real and concrete. New drugs are not only legalized, but also mandatory for every well-meaning citizen. Individual cards with karma level and freezers for those who have lost their karma. Converted animals: kangaroos, sheep and cows - the fruits of the application of the method of evolutionary therapy, now anyone can walk on two legs and talk. There are no police here, but there is the Inquisition and inquisitors - public and private. During a murder investigation, private inquisitor Conrad Metcalfe becomes embroiled in the behind-the-scenes games of the all-powerful Inquisition and the even more all-powerful mafia of the future...