Over the course of ten years, forty-seven people have mysteriously disappeared from this small county town.
No bodies, no murder cases. The county office’s case register contains just two words: “Not returned.”
While going through old files, newly appointed magistrate Chen Jingzhi discovers that the missing people seem to have nothing in common. Some went into the mountains to gather herbs, some left town to do business, and some walked out of their homes in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again.
As the old cases are reopened one by one, more people disappear, and bones begin to surface. After examining them, coroner Xu Xingzhou says, “This was no accident.” Chen Jingzhi soon discovers who the real culprit is.
