A short story before the Fall of the Alliance, about a family that probably deserves what could have happened . . . Max Berezin, a young man maneuvering to assure himself a place in his society at the top, not the bottom. Daniil Vinogradov, a young detective, raised to be a social climber . . . but is it better to cater to the older generation, or the young up-coming lord? Or can he finesse both?