Qing is a young naval officer in the service of Chinese Imperial Admiral Zheng He on his voyages of exploration in the fifteenth century of the Western calendar. Their travels take them to the coast of what we now call Mexico, where they chance upon a village on the outskirts of Tarascan territory, one of the largest Mesoamerican empires.

A terrible crime occurs. Qing, who has already shown an aptitude for solving mysteries, is ordered by his captain to work with the village shaman, an elderly, rather cynical, woman named Xmucane to discover who perpetrated the crime. They are successful, but in the process, uncover a conspiracy against the Tarascan empire. They are ordered to the capital, to pursue justice and solve mysteries large and small in the service of the Tarascan court. The two detectives and their comrades discover truths, not only about the conspiracy but about themselves.