A city planner discovers that the urban layout of Vados is being manipulated to mirror a grand, lethal game of chess. The protagonist, Boyd Hakluyt, attempts to navigate the shifting political landscape of the city while realizing that the movements of its citizens are being orchestrated by powerful, unseen forces. As he uncovers the pattern behind the chaos, he must contend with corporate interests and social engineering that threaten to dismantle the city's stability. The narrative employs a complex, multi-layered structure that reflects the strategic nature of the game being played by the city's elite.

This work is frequently cited as a high-water mark for the integration of game theory into speculative fiction. Readers often highlight the intricate plotting and the author's ability to maintain suspense while managing a large cast of characters. The novel is regarded as a dense, intellectual exercise that rewards careful attention to the underlying patterns of the plot. It remains a significant entry in the author's bibliography for its unique structural ambition and its critique of systemic manipulation.