The Shadow Puppeteer's Fate

A lovesick, sinister shadow-puppet artist vs. a violent, expressionless King of Hell (reincarnation, killing one's wife to prove the Dao, defying fate, marriage before love)

In an imagined ancient world where humans, ghosts, and demons coexist, Su Ying is a frail shadow-puppet performer born under the ill-fated Star of Solitude. To defy fate, she makes a pact with Li Yuan, a judge of the Underworld. She uses her unique art of bringing paper cutouts to life to deal with supernatural events. But evil wielders of supernatural powers covet the power of the Heavenly Dao and plot to ruin their plans. Su Ying must not only contend with the limits of her own abilities and society's prejudice against ghosts and gods, but also navigate a relationship with Li Yuan complicated by the shadow of his past-life deed of killing his wife to prove the Dao, along with lies and misunderstandings. As the countdown to the evil power-users' completion of their dark ritual draws near, Li Yuan must choose between the Heavenly Dao and the woman he loves, while Su Ying must overcome her fears, use her paper-cutting art to challenge the fate ordained by the gods, thwart the villains' scheme, and rewrite the destiny she shares with Li Yuan.