Content Warning: A Memory Called Empire depicts death, including death by ritual suicide, violent suppression of protest, and imperialism—as dehumanizing language is used against those targeted by the fictional Teixcalaanli Empire.

A Memory Called Empire opens on the deck of the Ascension’s Red Harvest, a starship of the Teixcalaan Empire—as the narrator describes the maps of star systems on screens. These star maps trace the reach of the Empire and the potential of the Empire to conquer further. The captain of the ship stops at Lsel Station, a mining colony, before returning to the capital. There, Mahit Dzmare, a new ambassador, boards the Ascension’s Red Harvest, leaving Lsel Station to replace Yskandr Aghavn, the previous ambassador. After she leaves, the Lsel Station council discusses her new position, as the narrator explains how miners use a technological implant—an imago device, a state secret—to store people’s memories in each other. Mahit arrives at the Empire’s capital with an imago device storing Yskandr’s memories. Meanwhile, the councilors discuss the issues with this imago device, noting that in Yskandr’s 20 years as ambassador, he’s only returned once to update his device. They discuss the Empire’s urgent request for a new ambassador and Mahit’s aptitude for the position.