Ivory Blake is back in NeuVenedig, the city of the erotic Black Carnival, but this time she is not a tourist. As she finally begins to make it as an artist and settle into the local way of life, she is also trying to find again the man she fell in love with during the last Carnival, Lune.But Lune, belonging to an artificial breed striving for independence from the stifling laws of the Galactic Union, finds his life, however, is in danger, as the leaders of the liberation party die mysteriously one by one.Romance is easier and more carefree with Lune's young companion, Laz'law, another acquaintance from the Carnival, and as Lune's two young lovers try to understand the secret of his life, love, danger, and lust bring them all ever closer together.