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Chinese-born Mei lives in London with adoptive parents Jim and Katherine, while studying astrophysics at university. Out of the blue she gets a message from journalist Pan Qiyani back in China and learns that, under the reprehensible former policy whereby families were restricted to having one child her mother Liu Ying gave her away as she already had a son Ajun. Now Liu Ying needs her help as Ajun, the brother Mei has never met, has been accused of murder during a club brawl to which he was a witness. Returning to China Mei is told that the real killer is Guan Xiaopeng, scion of a wealthy family keen to pay to pervert the course of justice. Visiting Ajun in prison Mei bonds with him but feels unable to help in any way. Nonethelss she agrees to stay in China.
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Mei is warned by the British consul not to associate with Pan Qiyani and the Citizens' Justice campaign group as they have powerful enemies in government but she ignores him. Having failed to get voluntary statements from the witnesses to the stabbing she employs private detective Mr Lin, though she has to ask her adoptive parents for fifty thousand pounds for his services. With his help she poses as a prostitute to blackmail the witnesses into changing their stories, which they do, though fearful of Guan Xiaopeng's influential family. Mei is thus optimistic for Ajun's appeal.
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Mei meets with the members of the Citizens' Justice Movement in order to expose government corruption in the press via Ajun's case, However its members are arrested and the appeal denied on the basis that the witnesses were coerced into changing their statements. Mei visits both Guan Xiaopeng and his father, both of whom are courteous but fail to offer a satisfactory solution. Ultimately, as her foster parents arrive Mei has one last chance to avert a miscarriage of justice - the outcome of which will affect the rest of her life.
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