Stranded and starving orphans are not meant to survive for long in Camorr, a city of dark alleys, rancid canals and sprawling slums. Locke Lamora, blessed with a quick wit and a certain moral flexibility, is one of the lucky few. When he is taken under the wing of a priest of the Crooked Warden known simply as Father Chains, he joins a family of orphans and miscreants destined to grow into the most talented, clever, and charming con artists in the city. Soon, the Gentlemen Bastards have swindled the Camorri nobility out of a vast fortune. As they are enjoying their success however, a much larger game is afoot. The powerful crime lord, Capa Barsavi, has his own ideas for Locke and his gang, and this brings them to the attention of a shadowy new arrival known only as the Grey King. He is brutal, calculating and apparently has a plan for everyone. Locke discovers that he is a pawn in somone else's game, and that the Bastards are in more danger than he ever imagined.