The novel follows the rise and fall of the State of Qin, tracing the growth and perspectives of its central characters and their families through major historical events. It begins in the late Spring and Autumn period, when ancient rites and customs fell apart, moves through the alliances and rivalries of the Seven Warring States, and continues to Qin’s unification and rapid collapse. It depicts not only the clashing armies on the battlefield, but also political schemes at court, palace intrigue, the brutal struggles of reform, the clash of a hundred schools of thought, and the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, painting a sweeping, vivid portrait of an empire’s birth, glory, decline, and fall.
