The Earth, a not-too-distant future. The exhaustion of the last conventional energy sources has upended the balance of power on 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 Parisian criminal police: although she is part of the best precinct in the city, she is also just fulfilling a quota there. The case of a missing corpse quickly evolves into something much larger and could mean a breakthrough in her career. Sci-fi master Leo, in "Mermaid Project," unusually focuses not on distant worlds but on the near future of our own planet. "Mermaid Project" combines climate change, political and economic upheavals, and genetics.