Valeran Park is a club for dominants and submissives who engage in power exchanges ranging from extended play sessions to ceding almost all autonomy to a master for an indeterminate period.
Michael, a sensible, forty year old accountant, has signed one of the heaviest contracts available and is deeply committed to the D/s lifestyle and his own role as slave. When he learns, then, that his master has sold him to Drew, a rich and seemingly spoilt and indolent young man with a reputation for wild partying, he does not back out, despite his dismay, but accepts the decision. After all, surely Drew will grow bored of him soon enough and sell him on to someone more suitable?
Drew, however, seems determined to turn over a new leaf and prove to the sceptical Michael that he is worthy to be his master. He gets his chance sooner than he anticipates, when unexpected events plunge Drew into the midst of Michael's extended family at a time of crisis.
It is in this busy family setting, rather than the rarefied atmosphere of Valeran Park itself, that Michael and Drew, two strong and stubborn characters, must find an equilibrium in a relationship where Drew, theoretically, holds almost all the power. This is one of the great appeals of the book. Drew and Michael are much more than their D/s roles but multi-faceted individuals who have other needs, roles and obligations in the wider world.
Neither of the characters is perfect, though both are likeable and there were times when I found it hard to readily empathise with their determination to remain within the perimeters of their set roles even when Drew was insecure or Michael was angry and frustrated, and hadn't even chosen Drew in the first place.
In the end, however, the book did a great job of showing how, with patience and communication on both sides as well as mutual attraction and liking, a D/s relationship can be made to work for some people.
There were some loose and indeed mysterious ends at the finish of "Without Restrictions", which leaves me looking forward hopefully to a sequel!