Detective Jim Holmes moved from the London Met to Tokyo in order to widen his experience, working with the fabled Chief Inspector Stella Koide. This turns out to be much more than he bargained for, when the murder of a Kabuki-cho prostitute leads to identification of a series of sadistic murders far beyond his worst nightmares. Attacks on the detectives expose links to the yakuza and also members of an exotic nightclub that caters for the more exotic sexual tastes of the ultra-rich.

The team's uncanny ability to solve cryptic clues reveals deeper layers of an international conspiracy, with links to illegal human genetic engineering and corporate espionage run from the other side of the world. To expose the secret manipulator behind this labyrinthine plot will require direct confrontation on his home ground. As the risks to the detectives increase, Koide¿s high-tech tools and Holmes' understanding of the character of their foe must be combined, not only to crack the case, but also to keep them alive long enough to do so.