China has emerged as a world power and economic force reluctantly opening its doors to foreign trade, global communication, and spies. Sent to report on the dynamic changes occurring in China, two American correspondents arrive in Beijing with their ten year old son, Jonathan. When the couple is killed in an airplane crash on their way to a meeting stateside, Jonathan is put in a position to explore a culture that has captured his imagination.

The young boy is invited to join the household of a family friend in Nanchang and adopts the personal of Qin Qiao Xiang. A few years later, Jonathan is living in a nearly idyllic world, until, in adolescence, his innocence ends, and he finds himself struggling to use his acquired skills and connections.