Henri had a passion for Napoleon and Napoleon had a passion for chicken. From Boulogne to Moscow, Henri butchered for his Emperor and never killed a single man. Meanwhile, in Venice, the city of chance and disguises, Villanelle was born with the webbed feet of her boatman father — but in the casinos she gambled her heart and lost. As the soldier-chef's love for Napoleon turns to hate, he finds the Venetian beauty, and together they flee to the canals of darkness.