Vancouver in the 22nd century is a city of stark contrasts, divided between prosperous Guild citizens and the starving descendants of American refugees who fled ecological catastrophe and political chaos decades ago.Young Klale Renhardt discovers that survival is difficult on the half drowned, ungoverned island of Downtown. When she finds a job through Toni, the bartender at the famous KlonDyke nightclub, Klale begins to feel safe -- until she learns that Toni has a disturbing connection to Blade, the bio-altered slave of Downtown's most feared blackmailer. When Klale attracts a powerful enemy, Blade may be the only person who can save her -- if she can help him discover his lost soul.