Ex-soldier and adventurer, Petros Kyriades and William (Bear) Morris, ex-SAS sergeant are The Collectors. Incensed, Petros seeks out those responsible for the destruction of his power boat. This time The Collectors find themselves caught up with the London Triads. China at the start of the twentieth century, with an infant emperor on the throne, lost all credibility. It was only a matter of time before the Qing were overthrown by the majority Han. Empress Dowager Cixi conspired with the Lady Yehenara, her niece, to steal the treasures of the Forbidden City. Yehenara gave her slave girl an out of the ordinary wooden necklace. A greedy Chinese businessman pays The Collectors to travel to Beijing and on to Kunming to find the necklace. These beads embody distinctive clues to the cache of treasure and entice The Collectors to visit The Great Wall. Events and a deadly contest with the Chinese authorities intensify the hunt to its conclusion.