China, 1869. A weakened Dynasty watches helplessly as western powers encroach on its land. But driven by drought and hunger, a secret society is preaching rebellion. Unaware of the forces broiling around her, a young English girl arrives in the city of Shishan.

Life is picnics and tiger hunts for the foreigners, but for Helen Frances there are other, more dangerous delights. For the Boxers are massing secretly in the forests and hills. Soon Helen Frances and the other foreigners will find themselves in enormous peril.

And at the end of the road, the Palace of Heavenly Pleasure beckons: a brothel overlooking an execution ground, its scented rooms offer safety - at a price few would be prepared to pay…