After Waxillium Ladrian returned to the metropolis of his birth, he learned his twenty years on the frontier were not wasted in his new environment. But when Scadrial faces it's first threats of terrorism and assassination, the still-shaky society will need Wax, his friend Wayne, and the young constable Marasi to work together in order to prevent the downfall of the entire community. But they will face an even greater threat when one of the kandra, nonhuman creatures that can take on the form of animals and humans they ingest, rebels against Harmony with her mind set on ultimate control.