Northern China in 1900.
American missionaries James and Do.
From the countryside comes a response: the brutal, quasi-religious movement of Chinese peasants known as Boxers, who seek to rid the country of foreign influence by any means necessary.
Facing social disintegration coupled with foreign encroachments, the ancient traditions of China seem powerless against the onslaught of the modern world.
The nation is in turmoil; the failing Manchu dynasty struggles to survive in the face of poverty.
Northern China in 1900