Suki is a genalt - an artificial girl, impossibly beautiful, created to order. Legally she is simply property, without rights, utterly at the mercy of her owner. And he has no mercy. He had her made to rebel against being told what to do, and to loathe sex with men. She is the perfect suffering toy for a cruel sadist. Her owner relishes her screams and her tears as he breaks her spirit with punishment, forcing her to beg him to have her. Suki manages to escape this hell, but the world outside is no better. She falls into the hand of criminals whose skill at inflicting pain far exceeds that of her original owner. Sold on the black market, she passes from one owner to another. And there are other forces out in the world with yet more sinister plans for her.