"The man was a maniac. Now he's a dead maniac. How can a corpse be a threat?" Strange times have come to Kaldor City. A long-vanished prophet speaks again; a plot is uncovered hinting at corruption among the Founding Families. Even the robots on which the city depends might hold secrets that no one dares imagine. Carnell must pit himself against an unseen adversary in a game which may bring him face to face with the dead...