The Earth, a not-so-distant future. The exhaustion of the last conventional energy sources has upended the power balance of the planet. Old Europe stands on the brink of economic collapse, while former emerging countries have risen to become strong nations. As a white woman, Romane Pennac has a difficult position in the Paris criminal police: although she is part of the best precinct in the city, she is simultaneously just fulfilling a quota. The case of a missing corpse quickly develops into something much larger and could mean a breakthrough in her career. Sci-fi master Leo, with "Mermaid Project," unusually focuses not on distant worlds but on the near future of our own planet. "Mermaid Project" brings together climate change, political and economic upheavals, and genetics.