In the first year of the Shengli era, outside Changping County in Youzhou, the young William Harris was unexpectedly struck by lightning, awakening memories that had been sealed away for seventeen years.

At that time, the sun and moon hung high in the sky.

The glorious Kaiyuan era was still far in the future, and though the realm seemed peaceful under the rule of a female sovereign, hidden undercurrents appeared to be surging beneath the calm surface.

There was Charles Brooks, who climbed the Youzhou Terrace and lamented the vastness of heaven and earth; the descendants of the brave, battle-hardened, and wise Edward Thompson; the aged yet ever-concerned about the Li Tang dynasty, John Marshall; the bewitching and dangerous as a poppy flower, Martha Washington; the cunning and scheming Abigail Adams...

As these familiar figures took the stage, William Harris discovered that within this little-known period of history, there were even more secrets hidden from the world.