Hong Mei and her single mother have had to move from town to town in modern China – as soon as townsfolk get suspicious that her mother's magical healing powers are, in fact, truly magical, they move on, usually in the middle of the night. But Hong Mei has started getting emails from someone named Madam Ching, who claims to have information on her long-missing father.

Ryan and Alex are Chinese-Canadian brothers who have lived with their aunt and uncle since their parents died in a mysterious fire. They are just going to visit relatives in Hong Kong as far as they know, just as the New Year's celebrations begin for the Chinese Year of the Golden Dragon.

What they are about to discover, as they magically connect with Hong Mei, is that there is a link between the fire that killed their parents and Madam Ching, between the ancient jade pendants they all wear and the Chinese myth of the Black Dragon. And why all these strange things start happening on the eve of the Year of the Golden Dragon.

East and West, ancient and modern, the mystical and practical, all collide as the trio races against time from Hong Kong to Beijing and finally to the famous Imperial tomb of Xian, where they meet their fate and discover what they are truly made of.