In seventh-century China, there is a fervent belief that the extraordinary resides within the lives of both commoners and royalty. While the empress Wu Zhao gains ascendancy in the Tang court, her lover Xie becomes obsessed with finding the oracle bone, a magical object that will bestow immortal powers on him. Standing in his way is Qilan, a Daoist nun who rescues an orphaned girl named Ling from slavery; Qilan takes her under her wing, promising to train her so she may avenge her parents' murders. As the mysteries and powers of the missing oracle bone are revealed, it remains to be seen whether Qilan will be able to stop Xie from gaining possession of the magical bone, and at what cost. Lydia Kwa's extraordinary novel employs and subverts traditional tropes of Chinese mythology to tell a tale of greed, faith, and female empowerment with a wickedly modern sensibility.