Glamaria is a place of dreams, or so Manfred thought when growing up. He imagined a world of fashion where everyone's appearance reflected their choices and views. Wandering it as a child, he was overwhelmed by the streets filled with beautiful people.
Glamaria is an Earth-like world inhabited by shape-shifters of a sort. They can slowly change their appearance to any human form, over days, weeks, and months. Their limits are roughly the range of real-world humanity. Changing eye color can be done in a day; changing sex takes two months or so; while changing height may take a year or more depending on the degree of change. They are very long-lived and resistant to disease, and they have developed a very stable society. Walking around is always like walking through a modeling convention or Hollywood party. There are people who will form themselves into more distinctive character parts, but the typical resident has generic movie-star good looks.
Their society is a bit like Hollywood stereotypes. There are a set of absolute rulers of the world, the Directorate. There is a sort of democracy in that you can choose who represents you in the Directorate -- so the popular leaders gain more power. But there is no open way to simply enter into it. However, the populace follow rigidly fashions, rumors, and orders from the hierarchy.
Major crime is rare, and harshly punished. You can never count on being able to recognize a person, so crime is dealt with swiftly and on the spot where possible. There tend to be enclaves where people both live and work for a time -- again because anyone can imitate anyone else. It is common to complain about the state of things, but overall it is a semi-utopian benevolent rule.
Technology is roughly like an idealized version of the 1930s. Medicine and biology are greatly advanced, but other technology (such as electronics) remains primitive. Firearms exist, but large-scale warfare is not well developed.
As a child, Manfred was a wunderkind within the world -- soon becoming a frequent guest of high council members. They had grown used to judging people by appearances, and Manfred's alien-ness and his tactical genius soon won over the elite. They came to him for advice, and arranged a governmental suite for his visits. To Manfred, he soon understood this as a fantasy of his -- aided by the fact that he had started taking drugs.