Residents of space stations have, for many generations, kept their distance from the conquering empire of Teixskalaan. A sudden request to send a new ambassador to the capital raises many questions. Mahit Dzmarе arrives at a planet-city where everything is literally laced with poetry—masking intrigues and rivalry. Imago—Mahit’s brain-implanted memory of the former ambassador—should help her untangle the web of connections, agreements, and the predecessor’s schemes, but a malfunction of the imago apparatus puts everything at risk. Now Mahit will have to figure everything out on her own.