The fifteenth year of Yuanhe, Tang Dynasty. The day of the Gengzi cycle in the first month.
In the palace, the emperor and his most beloved consort wake from a dream to find themselves imprisoned in utter darkness.
Outside the city, an old tree suddenly blooms in the snow. A mysterious woman in red appears and vanishes without warning. Someone sees a foreign dancer performing on a rope fall from the sky, yet no one sees her body hit the ground... One baffling case after another, each seemingly the work of ghosts and spirits, converges on Chang'an in a single night. Bloodshed, conspiracies, and screams spare no one, from the imperial family to the common people.
At the heart of the vortex, the one who can unravel the mystery turns out to be a down-at-heel Taoist priest, Ye Yinyun.
Before dawn, the banquet will end. Can Ye Yinyun solve the day's mystery, save Chang'an, and rescue the person he loves? And can he keep the terrifying secret buried deep within him hidden?
