In Song Dynasty China, a young servant of a magistrate searches for the killers of a mentally-disabled boy shunned by the community

China, during the Song Dynasty- In a small town, an intellectually-disabled boy is found dead. All signs point to his mother, a poor and ailing widow, as the one who caused his death. She even confesses in court.

But as Liu Yong, the lowly attendant of the magistrate delves deeper, he finds that things may not be what they seem. The young man's investigations take him to the unfamiliar territory of the Capital, where he must contend with prejudice, bent officials and powerful foes to get to the truth. For help, Yong turns to the enigmatic Beggars' Sect, a network of street people comprising elements good and bad, righteous and criminal. Will it help or hinder? In a deeply hierarchical society, Yong needs to dig deep to find the truth against the odds and, in the process, discover his own worth.