In the heat of a wicked and oppressive summer, a tightly-knit family prepares to head south to flee from the all-consuming fires of war engulfing their northern home. It is the summer of 1937, and a spark of war has been lit in China. The flames are spreading like wildfire across the nation, threatening to engulf everything in its path… beginning with Beijing. The city teeters on the edge, not knowing which way the balance will swing, as the shadow of conflict looms ominously over it. Everyday life carries on, as it must, but the rumours run rife. No one really knows what is going on… or what will happen next. Outside the city walls, the Lü family are no different, their lives resting in the hands of others. All they can do is wait… and hope that the balance shifts towards peace rather than all-out war. Lü Bichu, the youngest of three and mother to three children of her own, knows the ferocity of a mother’s fury. There is nothing she won’t do to protect everything she holds dear, everything the war threatens to take from her. To do that, Lü and her family must tread a fragile tightrope, navigating the treacherous path between a corrupt government, the merciless Japanese invaders, and even the desperation of their fellow citizens. One slip could spell tragedy for them all.
