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 her brother's life in disarray.
Their dangerous quest for justice begins in twenty-first century China beset by corrupt politicians and 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.