Lu Shun is eleven years old, lives with his grandfather and doesn?t go to school with the other children. The people of the town say they are hiding a secret, and maybe it?s true. During the winter, his grandfather teaches him the art of calligraphy and in the spring they set off to tell stories in the villages. But his peaceful life is shattered when his grandfather is captured and forced to work on the Great Wall of China. Lu Shun will have to overcome many dangers before reuniting with his grandfather and his friend Du Li, but destiny has a more ambitious plan in store for him. A wonderful novel about the power of words and the magic of writing set in the time of the Qin Dynasty.