Wolemba waku America Donna ndirangu Chifukwa cha chidwi chake ndi Venice, ali ndi mbiri yabwino. Zaka makumi awiri mphambu ziwiri atayamba kukoka chiwembu chake choyamba ndi Commissioner Brunetti kudutsa mumzinda wa ngalande, ulusi womwe watchulidwowu wapangitsa kuti Venice ikhale milandu yayikulu kwambiri. Kuphatikizana komwe kumawonjezeranso chithumwa china mzaka zikwizikwi. Ngati ndizosangalatsa kuyenda mumisewu yodzitchinjiriza pakati pa zamatsenga ndi zamatsenga, timawonjezera nthawi ya noir yomwe imasiyanitsa ndi kusamba kozolowereka kochokera ku Adriatic.
Mu "Akapolo Akukhumba" timapeza chiwembu chomwe chimachokera pang'onopang'ono mpaka kupitilira apo, ziyenera kukhala choncho chifukwa cha maziko enieni a chiwembu chomwe chimatipangitsa kuwona chilichonse monga momwe wofufuzayo akupezera. Chifukwa pachiyambi maunyolo adayamba kusiya zomwe tizitsatira mpaka titazindikira momwe chilichonse chimayambira mbali yatsopano. Ndi nkhani yosatenga kalikonse mopepuka komanso osanyalanyaza tsatanetsatane ...
Kuwonekera kwa atsikana awiri osadziwa komanso ovulala kwambiri pakhomo lolowera kuchipatala cha Civil Hospital ku Venice kumayika Brunetti ndi Griffoni panjira ya achinyamata awiri aku Venetian omwe akanatha kupalamula mlandu wakusiya ntchito yothandiza. Ndiwo a Marcelo Vio ndi a Filiberto Duso, abwenzi awiri kuyambira ali mwana, osiyana kwambiri wina ndi mnzake: Duso amagwira ntchito ngati loya pakampani ya abambo ake, pomwe Vio adasiya kuphunzira ali mwana ndikupeza ndalama kwa amalume ake, omwe amayendetsa katundu bizinesi ndi mabwato ang'onoang'ono.
Koma zomwe poyamba zimawoneka ngati zopusa ndi achinyamata awiri omwe amangofuna kukhala ndi nthawi yabwino, zidzaulula china chake chachikulu kwambiri: kulumikizana ndi mafia olanda osavomerezeka omwe amayang'anira kubweretsa osamukira ku Africa ku Venice. Brunetti ndi Griffoni akuyenera kuti agwirizane ndi mnzake watsopano, Captain Ignazio Alaimo, wamkulu woyang'anira Capitaneria di Porto, yemwe wakhala akutsatira ozembetsa kwa zaka zambiri.
Mukutha tsopano kugula buku la «Slave of Desire», lolembedwa ndi Donna Leon, apa:
