Shanghai, 1943. Neon lights mingle with the smoke of war. A shadow war rages beneath qipaos, and Morse code is hidden in every gesture.
By day, an economics scholar, by night, he ventures deep into the undercurrents. An employee of the Black Dragon Society conceals poison in his sleeve. He and his beloved live under the same roof, yet are strangers to one another. Here, the hand lifting a teacup may have just been stained with blood, and the pharmacist may do more than save lives: he might also take them.
Every step is a precipice, every sentence a trap. Some infiltrate the secret service, while others risk their lives in pharmacies, fighting the Japanese invaders. They wager their lives, waiting for a red tide to crash against this isolated island and shatter it.
