San Francisco, 1989: Forty years after Mao and his People's Liberation Army set out to change China forever, Dr. Lili Quan prepares for a journey that will change her life forever.

To honor her mother's dying wish that she "return" home, American-born Lili reluctantly sets out for China. For Lili, a passionate idealist, this will be an extraordinary trip filled with remarkable discoveries - from meeting and falling in love with Chi-Wen Zhou, a victim of the Cultural Revolution and zealous Taoist, to finding Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, the grandfather Lili believed had died years ago. But Ni-Fu has made the most remarkable discovery of all: he's discovered the secret to long life. As greedy and unscrupulous men vie for control of the most earth-shattering discovery of the century, Lili, Ni-Fu's only living relative, could become a pawn in a deadly and dangerous international game. Before she can hold the key to the future, Lili must unlock the deadly secrets of the past.