A satirical novel set in early 2000s Shanghai and New Zealand. After a failed marriage in Auckland, aspiring artist Mark Webster heads to Shanghai seeking adventure, romance, riches and a chance to indulge his painterly ambitions. His artistry is focused on a pagoda and a local beauty which results in clashes with influential Communist Party power brokers. He flees back to New Zealand where the arrival of a pagoda and a mysterious cargo produce further upheavals for him - from imprisonment to artistic fame and a romantic resolution.