"But sometimes, you get lucky and every door you open leads you to another until, finally, you stumble upon the truth." It's the year Y2K, and Mickey O'Rourke, a seventy-eight-year-old L.A. private investigator, is taking on one last case before retirement. The mystery in question is the disappearance of former porn star Jeffrey Strokes.

"In the end, all battles are social battles, Theodora. We just need to win that crowd today." The Hippodrome is the center of activity in Constantinople. From chariot races to political debates to parties, it is a determiner of life or death. After Theodora’s father dies in a massive city-wide riot, she gets a chance to save her family from misfortune and take her own shot at success within the Hippodrome’s center.