David is not supposed to be in the net, since he does not belong to one of the septs. Cecilie also finds out that he plays jazz. While jazz and rock-n-roll are not banned, they are not entirely legal. Both types of music defy authority, which the septs promote. David's patron, who is also part of an anti-sept faction, is killed on the eve of a meeting of all the septs. David is a suspect, and he hires Cecilie to find evidence to clear him.

The story is very engrossing, and the reader is caught up in the twists and turns of the plot. This future world is fleshed out with details to make it real. In order to access the net, people get in what is essentially a sensory deprivation tank. In the net, Cecilie has programmed a familiar in the shape of a bird of paradise. It is a search engine, bringing back information that Cecilie requests. The net is an electronic analog of the real world, with shopping malls, business districts, and a library. But the net is made up of different layers, some of which only members of the sept can access.

However, the story has several weaknesses. Lina (a singer in the Pieta, the premier Venetian chorus) is less of a character than Zizi, Cecilie's familiar in the net. Cecilie and David are tossed together as antagonists, yet work together as allies. Their relationship shows the nuances of becoming a romantic one, but that seems to peter out. While this may be realistic, it lacks the dramatic element one expects from the rest of the story. Finally, the anomaly which Cecilie and David find is treated as a deus ex machina, solving some of their problems, but leaving an empty feeling. It makes one feel either the story had to be cut down to fit, the author was in a hurry to finish, or that there will be a sequel.

Still, I liked it enough that I plan to pick up Memento Mori, an earlier work, and look forward to seeing her next books.