Missing children are reappearing in unusual locations. Even more bizarrely, the children were all born on the same day of the lunar calendar, and dream the same dreams at night. A child psychologist, a Daoist scholar/priest, and a police detective team up to stop further disappearances, but are stymied by a string of supernatural occurrences.
Ten-year-old Hsiao-chiu disappears on his way home from school. Three days later he is found 200 kilometers away deep in the wilderness of the Alishan mountain range. He appears to be in perfect health, but he has no idea that three days have passed. All he can recall are vague memories of a man leading him from the subway station into the forest, and of a one-legged owl that he followed through the trees. The next thing he remembers is being found by a group of hikers. The only other clue Hsiao-chiu can provide is that every night he dreams of old railroad tracks in the forest, and a boy’s voice saying, “Only I am the prince.”
Hsiao-chiu’s bizarre testimony prompts the police to form a special investigations team. The boy represents the fourth in a series of disappearances involving young boys who are then found in remote forests. The boys all came from different parts of Taiwan, and appear to be completely unrelated. The only clues that link them are their shared birthdate on the lunar calendar, and the voice they all hear in their dreams.
The pattern of disappearances suggests another boy will become a victim within fourteen days. Racing against time, police detective Entotsu invites child psychologist He Jo-fen to assist on the unusual case, and He, in turn, enlists the aid of a Daoist priest and scholar. Han Hsi-yuan. The motley team of detective, Daoist, and child psychologist are soon confronted by further unfathomable events. Everywhere they go they encounter lightning, strong winds, and earthquakes. Soon, reports arrive from across Taiwan that idols of the god Nezha, also known as the Third Lotus Prince, are spontaneously rocking and turning in place.
As the investigators become mired in supernatural mysteries, Entotsu discovers that Han Hsi-yuan has been hiding his true identity. Could the Daoist somehow be connected to the disappearances?
Starting from the case of a missing child, author Chang Kuo-Li builds a gripping tale of suspense blending elements of Daoist legend with the history of Taiwan’s railroads. As Daoist cosmology sheds an alternative light on the investigators’ understanding of the case – and their own pasts – a unique dialogue is forged between the modern thriller genre and the adventurous tales of Daoist folklore.