When does ambition to attain a noble goal demand too high a price - risking everything -- family, clan and even life? In this spellbinding saga set in 11th-century China during the Song Dynasty, universal human experiences of survival and ambition, balanced on gender equality, come alive. Explore age-old events of life and death, commitment and infidelity, courage and deceit, loyalty and betrayal, and the conflicting interplay of sexuality, race, and religion – all as relevant today as they were then. Dive into the captivating world of Hasan Arslan, a Gelolu Uyghur master bowyer who armed the Song Imperial Guard with unparalleled weaponry. Risking his life, family, and wealth, he aspired to the upper echelons of the Song Imperial Society. Empowered by Emperor Taizong's gift of jade Pixius, mythical beings with the head of a dragon and the body of a lion, Hasan and his descendants forged their destiny. With distinctive features of green eyes and a larger nose, Hasan stood out from the Han Chinese populace. Hasan’s success in weapon production became a target of some Han Chinese Imperial inner circles. But unlike him, the females in his life shattered the grip of the Han and their traditions. Li Shi Shi, the beautiful and courageous courtesan, befriended his son, and circumstances elevated the Arslans to the upper echelons. When all the Arslan men engage in warfare to fend off Tangut and Jurchen invaders, can two generations of women—Layla, Melod, and Pendo—forge a path to success through their House of Arslan Armory? Escaping Jurchen marauders to a foreign land, Manola and Meimei, the granddaughters, upheave norms of race and culture in their pursuit of stability and wealth. Will their efforts lead to further disaster or uncover fabulous riches? How did Hasan and his kin survive wars against the Tangut marauders from the west and Jurchen invaders from the north? Did the enigmatic Pixius assist in their escape from the Jurchen? Did they reach their promised land at the Hundred Beam Bridge?