In this novella of ideas set in a dystopian near future, a young woman strives to break free of the weight of her grim past and avoid a bloody future. Amid the death agonies of a pariah state, Daria Rigoletti transforms herself: from contract killer to people-smuggler to cult leader; but circumstances combine against her attempts to break free of violence. Will the mysterious Mercurio help her – if she doesn't kill him first? Will any other man reignite her human feelings and her passion for love and life?