The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Liang, Ann. A Song to Drown Rivers. Tor, 2024. Kindle AZW file.

Xishi, a beautiful young woman in a rural village in ancient China, hides her face in public at her mother’s insistence. While washing silk at the river, she stops a man from attacking a young girl by throwing a rock at him. A stranger intervenes and drives the man away. He is impressed by Xishi’s bravery.

The next day, the stranger arrives at Xishi’s home, introducing himself as Fanli, a minister of Yue. He seeks a beautiful woman to infiltrate the Wu court as part of a plan to bring down the enemy kingdom. He invites her to join the mission, promising support and training. That night, Xishi’s friend Zhengdan reveals she has agreed to help as a palace maid. Xishi secretly leaves home to join them.

She meets Fanli and Zhengdan at the riverbank and agrees to go on the condition her parents are cared for. They travel to Riversong Cottage for training, where they meet King Goujian of Yue. Fanli begins lessons in etiquette. He tells Xishi she must learn to hide her emotions. Xishi trains in the guqin until her fingers bleed. Fanli teaches her about Wu politics, warning her about the clever minister Wu Zixu. To test her skills, Fanli takes her to a teahouse and tasks her with charming a man. She succeeds, but the man grabs her when she tries to leave. Fanli steps in and pulls her away.

King Goujian visits Riversong Cottage, deems the women ready, and shares a map showing that convincing King Fuchai to build a canal to Lake Tai could help Yue defeat Wu. On her last day, Xishi talks with Fanli about his scars and the humiliation he and Goujian suffered under Fuchai. She asks if he has personal desires, but he avoids the question. That night, Xishi visits him, applies ointment to his back, and asks what she means to him. He only replies that her affection hurts like "being cut with your own blade" (105) and tells her to rest. They depart the next day.

Upon arriving in Wu, Xishi is surprised the kingdom looks like Yue. Fanli gives her his sword, then disembarks unexpectedly, leaving her to her fate. At the palace, King Fuchai invites Xishi to dine, but she declines, hoping to intrigue him. Realizing they’re being kept away from Fuchai by the minister Wu Zizu, Xishi reopens a shoulder wound to attract his attention. Fuchai rushes to help and moves them to better quarters after Xishi subtly blames Wu Zixu. Still, Xishi finds it hard to get close to the king and resolves to wait for his upcoming birthday celebration to make progress.

At Fuchai’s birthday celebration, Xishi planned to gift him an embroidered robe but found it had been destroyed. Thinking quickly, she presented a pebble instead, saying it symbolized a wish for him to enjoy life’s quiet pleasures. Fuchai was moved and said he would remember her. Soon after, Fuchai began requesting Xishi’s company nightly, but she repeatedly declined. Eventually, he came to her chambers himself, expressing that he couldn't stop thinking about her. Though she feared his intentions, he only asked to sleep beside her. Haunted by a dream of her sister Susu’s murder, Xishi briefly considered killing him but reaffirmed her mission to destroy Wu by winning his love. Fuchai continued to visit nightly.

Xishi later persuaded Fuchai to drink before an important council meeting, then accompanied him. When Wu Zixu proposed attacking Yue again, Xishi feigned innocence and claimed Yue was at peace. Fuchai sided with her and rejected the attack. She then asked him to build her a palace in the hills, secretly aiming to drain Wu’s resources and stoke public discontent.

At a court-sponsored military contest, General Ma intimidated all challengers until Zhengdan stepped forward and defeated him, earning applause from Fuchai. That night, he confided in Xishi about the loneliness of kingship and kissed her. She unexpectedly enjoyed it but, when asked what she was thinking, accidentally said “Fanli,” causing her to worry she’d aroused Fuchai’s suspicion.

Xishi feared punishment after accidentally saying Fanli’s name, but none came. Later, she was summoned to court where Fanli was brought in and stabbed by Wu Zixu. Xishi hid her emotions, and Fuchai, convinced she didn’t care for Fanli, let him go. She later found Fanli bleeding and treated his wound. They admitted their feelings but agreed to stay committed to their mission. Returning to her chambers, Xishi found Zhengdan dying from poison planted by General Ma. Xishi faked shock when Fuchai told her and cast suspicion on Zixu, suggesting someone was trying to provoke a war with Yue. To console her, Fuchai agreed to a canal trip. During the journey, he shielded her from boiling water, injuring himself. Xishi, touched by the gesture, tended to him and, at the journey’s end, lamented they couldn't reach Lake Tai. Fuchai ordered the canals extended: fulfilling the Yue plan.

Later, Zixu warned Fuchai of an imminent Yue attack, Fuchai, enraged, forced him to commit suicide. Soon after, Xishi received a poetic message from Fanli, which she recognized as an instruction: host a banquet. She asked Fuchai to do so, and he agreed. At the banquet, Fanli and King Goujian attended. Fanli got drunk and left early. Fuchai, trusting Xishi completely, asked her to escort him. Fanli promised to return for her once their mission to bring down Wu was complete. The next morning, Fuchai woke Xishi during a surprise Yue attack. Believing she was in danger, not complicit, he helped her escape. Xishi felt overwhelmed by guilt at the destruction around her, realizing she had only been trained to trigger the war, not to face its consequences.

They fled to the palace Fuchai built for her. There, Yue soldiers arrived and bowed to Xishi, thanking her. She confessed her betrayal to Fuchai, claiming she hated him. But the moment didn’t feel like victory. Heartbroken, Fuchai begged her to kill him, and she did. As Xishi was led away, she overheard a loyal Wu minister had been executed despite helping the Yue. A damaged note from Fanli warned her of danger and asked her to meet him by the riverside where they first met.

Xishi returned to her village and reunited with her family. Though praised as a hero, she began to question her actions when Zhengdan’s mother denounced both kingdoms, saying the poor always suffer while the rich play power games. At the riverside, Xishi was ambushed and drowned.

The final chapter is told by Xishi from beyond the grave. Xishi watched Fanli find her body and mourn. He blamed himself for training her and said victory was meaningless without her. In a dream, she urged him not to seek revenge but to help the people. Fanli confronted Goujian but spared him. Xishi haunted Goujian’s dreams, and Fanli buried her in the village, telling a boy to spread the story that they had sailed away together, happy and in love. Xishi waited for Fanli in the afterlife. When he died, they were reunited.