In the city of Ankh-Morpork, crime is legal. Here dwell humans and races from all over the Discworld, living side by side with trolls, dwarves, golems, vampires, werewolves, and zombies. They not only coexist but also fight for their rights and equality. It is in this gigantic, boiling cauldron that the City Watch serves, a force with which no one takes seriously, and which has long since given up trying to uphold the law. But the arrival of a determined newcomer and a past mistake will compel the Watch and its captain to remember their duty.