[3] The novel follows Will Chen, a senior at Harvard, when he is contracted by a Chinese billionaire to steal back five bronze fountainheads from different museums and return them to China, the justification being that the artifacts were looted during the Second Opium War.

His heist crew eventually grows to include four other Chinese Americans with various backgrounds, rationales, and skill sets: Irene Chen, Daniel Liang, Lily Wu, and Alex Huang.

Kirkus Reviews found it a "compelling portrait of the Chinese diaspora experience" but commented that it "doesn't quite land as either literary fiction or thriller.

"[4] Several publications, like USA Today, CBC, and The Boston Globe, lauded Li's timely, poignant commentary on ethical questions raised around museum inventories in the west.

[5][6][7] The New York Times found that "The thefts are engaging and surprising, and the narrative brims with international intrigue" while also admiring Li's commentary on the Chinese American experience.