After the apocalypse, society is divided into three endlessly warring factions. The Professors and Soldiers maintain what is left of civilization while the superstitious Barbarians constantly attack them. The Barbarians are in turn attacked by the deformed and diseased Out People, who struggle to survive in a netherworld of incinerated cities.

When Marianne, a Professor's daughter, is kidnapped to become the captive bride of the Barbarian Jewel, a dangerous, erotic love story begins. For as Marianne gives herself over to the exotic life of the jungle, she also begins to discover her own capacity for barbarism and violence. Playful, sensuous, violent and gripping, Heroes and Villains is an ambiguous and deliriously rich blend of post-apocalyptic fiction, gothic fantasy, literary allusion and twisted romance.