(The sequel to Inamorata) Death has long been a subject that preys upon Nightingale's mind. Her life has never been a safe one, not with her past in the bordello and her occupation as a government agent. Death has always been close to her; she used to long for it in her suffering, and now she fears that it will take away her happiness, but it has always been her own life she has worried for. But when the life of someone else suddenly hangs in the balance, she will be forced to choose between love and morality.

Nightingale is human - or would be, had it not been for the manner of her creation. Genetically engineered and grown to adulthood in a lab, she was created, not born. Why? For the sole purpose of the entertainment of rich men as one of the many Inamoratas in the bordello business . Beautiful, elegant, a superb dancer and an even better singer, she is the perfect lover for any man. Perfect, that is, except for her personality - the one thing you can't engineer.