International action adventure ensues when Lily Wong-a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja-travels from Shanghai to Japan to help family friend and former triad enforcer, Lee Chang, locate and rescue his kidnapped twelve-year-old niece while, back home in Los Angeles, her father's health wanes.

Their mission is aided and complicated by an enigmatic assassin with a discomforting fascination for Lily. When the hunt for the niece leads to another missing relative, the trio of dangerous heroes-ninja, triad, and assassin-are pitted against an even greater foe. Meanwhile, Chang's family must be moved from the shikumen house in Old Shanghai before the government tears it down. This would be simpler if not for the feud between brothers and the old resentments and intrigues entwined within the stunning history of the city itself.