The first book of the series centered on how Laurence, formerly a captain in the Royal Navy, becomes Temeraire's handler, and their early training in preparation for battles against Napoleon's aerial fleet.

After defeating Napoleon's forces at the battle of Dover, Laurence and Temeraire are confronted by envoys from Imperial China, including Prince Yongxing, brother of the Jiaqing Emperor.

According to Chinese law, Celestials are only allowed to accompany royalty; Temeraire was intended for Napoleon, Emperor of the French, while Laurence, a mere commoner, is deemed unworthy.

As the land routes are deemed unsafe, the Navy has a dragon transport, HMS Allegiance, captained by Laurence's former second officer Tom Riley, ferry the Celestial and his crew to China.

During the sea voyage, Temeraire catches a respiratory illness from Volatilus, a slow-minded though sweet-natured Greyling serving in the courier corps who visits the Allegiance with dispatches.

The details were of course romanticized: a girl had supposedly disguised herself as a man to fight in her father's stead, had become the companion to a military dragon and saved the empire by winning a great battle; as a consequence, the Emperor of the time had pronounced girls acceptable for service with dragons.Throne of Jade was released to positive reviews; SF Reviews described it as having "sumptuous locales, thrilling action, and thematic and emotional heft,"[3] while Bookmarks Magazine called it "a solid second entry in what is shaping up to be an intriguing series.