The year is 2450 C.E. and the world has enjoyed two centuries of peace. The population of the planet has stabilised at 3 billion following the devastating effects of climate change, famine, disease and wars that raged for nearly 200 years. One central government, the World Federation of Nations, based in Luzern, Switzerland, administers the judicial needs of all nations through its General Assembly and funds scientific research dedicated to restoring the planet's fragile ecosystems. But greed and corruption go hand in hand with power, and for some, the stakes are high. At a principal research facility located in Melbourne, Australia, a scientist is assaulted and vital data stolen from computer records. Almost simultaneously, four other facilities around the world are similarly compromised. When a murder follows, Federation investigators realise they are dealing with a dark conspiracy that stretches across the globe. They enlist the support of the scientists and their sometimes capricious cats; mysterious creatures bred in special centres.