Arthur Biers, a young would-be historian just returned from a trip to Xi'an, China that nearly got him killed. He has a fresh wound, he's been discredited in the media as a grave robber, and his role in the illegal excavation of the first emperor of China's tomb nearly started a war. The United States government wants to know what happened. He recalls the story directly to the United States Ambassador who's desperately trying to smooth things over.