June Clarke loses the money from the sale of her house to fraudsters and attends a support group for victims of such scams where she meets old school mate Des Grigsby. He persuades her to take a job caring for the mother of respected businessman Kirk Wiley, who he suspects is involved in the criminal enterprise that targeted both of them.

When the body of a foreign student is discovered in the streets of the down-at-heel city of Besźel, it’s just another day’s work for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But he uncovers evidence that the murdered girl came from Ul Qoma, a city that shares a dangerous and volatile relationship with Besźel, and this case will challenge everything Borlú holds dear.