Inhabitants of space stations have kept their distance from the invading empire of Teikskalaan for many generations. The sudden request to send a new ambassador to the capital raises many questions.Makhit Dzmare arrives on a city planet where everything is literally permeated with poetry that drapes intrigue and rivalry. Imago - the memory of the former ambassador implanted in Makhit's brain - should help her unravel the tangle of connections, agreements and scams of her predecessor, but the failure of the imago apparatus puts everything in jeopardy. Now Mahit will have to figure everything out on his own.