Hong Kong. American journalist Paul and his Chinese girlfriend – face a crisis. A troubling letter arrives from mainland China from Christine's long lost brother and they feel compelled to come to his rescue. There they find a village in turmoil and his brother's life in disarray. 

Their dangerous quest for justice begins set against a China beset by corrupt politicians, ruthless business interests where citizens, still in the long shadow of the Cultural Revolution have few rights in the face of an all-powerful system. 

Sendker's world is rich and intense: his books weave together love story and crime thriller, the wisdom of Confucius and the thoughts of Mao, between the emotive West and the fatalistic, philosophical East. And above all a sense of deep, honest faith in the human spirit.