Hou-ming, city of ghosts, central China, 1304. In a vast graveyard created by Mongol slaughter, three children forge a friendship that will determine their destinies. As the years pass they find different paths. Yun Shu, rejected by her father for refusing to bind her feet, seeks solace as a Daoist nun. Hsiung, enslaved by Mongols as a boy, becomes a ruthless rebel warlord. Teng, artist and scholar, last son of a family ruined by the new Mongol dynasty, risks his life to preserve his culture. To come together, they must endure war, treachery and abuse of power. To win honor and unexpected love they must overcome dangerous enemies and their own conflicts. Each of them must earn the Mandate of Heaven.