The world of Majipoor is home to many different alien races, but it is also the home of the Metamorphs, an enigmatic, ancient people that has lived in near exile for thousands of years under the human government. The Pontifex Valentine has recently begun work to help the shapeshifters reclaim their ancient heritage with an excavation of the city of Velalisier, but things go awry when one of the chief archaeologists is murdered - an almost unthinkable crime on this peaceful world. Valentine and his closest friends and advisors travel to Velalisier to investigate, but the question of who committed this murder only leads to deeper mysteries... and to the legend of the "defilement" that the Metamorphs believe cursed Velalisier long before humans first set foot on the world.