It`s China in the 1930s. Julian Bell, son of the Bloomsbury set`s Vanessa, is newly arrived in Peking. In search of fresh experiences, he encounters the beautiful, intelligent & deeply erotic Lin Cheng. Though Lin is wife to a university professor, their passionate assignations blossom into an affair. Schooled in the ancient Taoist arts of love, Lin instructs Julian in the ways of the East. But if society won`t tolerate this union between Occidental & Oriental can their love possibly survive? Based on a true story this is a tragic tale of romance, betrayal & sexual desire set against a backdrop of conflict & war.