1908. New Venice - the pearl of the Arctic - is a place of ice palaces and pneumatic tubes, of beautifully ornate carriage-sleds and elegant Victorian garb. But as the city prepares for spring, local 'poletics' are wracked by tension as Eskimos circle the city, with suffragette riots and drugs roundups heightening the anxiety. An ominous black airship hovers over the city and the Gentlemen of the Night, the local police, are hunting for the author...