Sixteen-year-old Baoliu is devastated when his mother dies and his father takes a new wife who wears his mother's jewelry. Baoliu is the second son, and he becomes less and less important in the household. Then one night, his step-mother is murdered, and the jewelry stolen. Everyone is sure that Baoliu is the murderer and thief. This fast-paced mystery is set in China in the twelfth century.