Gilles begins working in the Second Ambit, a more sophisticated online world that includes fully digital inhabitants as well as spectres – people who maintain their online presence even after their real-world existence has ended. Gilles is asked to remove one of these spectres from the system.

As Gilles struggles with the ethics of bringing a disembodied person offline, his friend Five gets into real-world trouble. If Gilles leaves the Second Ambit before he completes his task, he may be in a life-threatening situation of his own. If he doesn't, Five may die.