Mingyi is trapped. If she does not marry the bandit Soong Ling, he will ruin her family's business - and her life! Confused and desperate she can think of only one person who can help her: the legendary Wu Mei, the "beautiful warrior". Once before, the astonishing kung fu master had helped Mingyi fight off a pair of thieves. Could Wu Mei defend her again? Emily Arnold McCully's paintings teem with the life and color of seventeenth century China as they tell an aspiring story of strength victorious over brute force.