Klowa had been working the docks as a loss investigator for more than three centuries. During that time he had built a reputation for results as well as a reputation for the utmost discretion. It is that reputation for discretion that gets him his first case among the upper levels of the cargo business. The owner of one of the great companies calls him to investigate false captains that are taking command of his ships, piling up losses and causing shippers to lose confidence.
The owner seems to suspect one of the top executives in his own company. The initial evidence seems to point to the one who would be directly involved in the recruiting and training of captains, but relatively early on he begins to suspect he is being framed. He finds several bad actors along the way who are hurting the economy of the city, but he has to leave them alone because they are not the problem he is being paid to find.
Zhlindu's docks, print shops, music halls and the mansions of the wealthy atop the towers are the backdrop for this mystery that could only happen in Zhlindu. Ancient Troll customs and the complex history of the southern part of the basin figure deeply in the events chronicled within.