The discovery of violet gold a vital fuel for steam-powered machines propelled the empire of
Great Liang into an age of prosperity. But for Chang Geng a young man raised on the
impoverished northern border the concerns of the empire are as distant as the stars above.
When raiders from the north attack Chang Geng's small village he discovers that the life he
knows is a lie. His mother his teacher and even his godfather whom he trusted more than any
other Shen Shiliu are not what they seem. As enemy nations close in Chang Geng follows his
godfather to the heart of the imperial capital where a greater fate lies in store for him.
