Nanjing, 1931. Currents of intrigue stir beneath the surface of Laohuqiao Prison.
On a frigid winter solstice night, professional killer A Long is ordered to assassinate newspaper columnist Cheng Hongru. At the last moment, he stays his hand, leaves behind a warning note, and disappears into the darkness.
Ten years later, two bizarre cases erupt in the heavily guarded prison. A wealthy merchant, Cheng Yi, is strangled in the dead of night, while the tomb raider Zhang Gou seizes the chaos to break out. The cases intertwine, exposing the tangled web of power and the depths of human nature in the turbulent Republic of China era.
At the time of the crime, twelve suspects were confined to the same room, each harboring their own secrets. In the end, the clues point to a revenge plot spanning ten years...
Political power struggles, persecution for speaking out, the secrets of tomb-raiding, and life-or-death gambling all converge here. Killers, intellectuals, gamblers, tomb raiders, and executioners cross paths in prison. Behind the truth lies an economic conspiracy by the Nationalist government, a blood debt between underworld clans, or a tragic song of drifting lives in turbulent times? When the lights go out and darkness descends, who is gripping fate by the throat from the shadows?
