Summary

Pinmei and her Grandmother lived in a mountain village. In the beginning of the novel, winter had just begun and conditions were especially frigid and harsh. It had also been an especially long winter, with many remarking that the Black Tortoise of Winter had stayed an especially long time, almost as if he were trapped. A new emperor had just taken control of the empire, and the rumors were swirling that he had tried to climb the mountain to pay tribute to the mountain in order to receive the blessing of the Mountain Spirit. He was pushed back however, and began to attack to the villages in the area, always taking able-bodied men to work on his Vast Wall. Pinmei's grandmother, Amah, was well known for both her embroidery skills and her storytelling, which often focused on historical figures and legends. The...