In 751 AD, on the banks of the remote Talas River, the expansionist Tang Dynasty of China clashes with the ambitious, newly risen Abbasid Caliphate. General Gao Xianzhi, the ruthless Tang commander, seeks to cement imperial power in Central Asia, his campaign marked by brutal efficiency and treacherous diplomacy against the city-state of Tashkent. This provocation unleashes the wrath of the Abbasids, whose disciplined Khurasani army marches east, fueled by vengeance and religious fervor.

Caught in the maelstrom are Wei Jin, an idealistic Tang scribe witnessing the horrors of war; Omar ibn Ishaq, a devout Abbasid soldier; Yabgu, the cunning Karluk chieftain playing a dangerous game of shifting allegiances; and Zara, a resourceful Sogdian merchant whose network spans the Silk Road. As these empires collide in a ferocious five-day battle, loyalty, courage, and betrayal will determine not only the fate of nations but also unleash an unforeseen legacy—the westward journey of a technology poised to change the world: papermaking, carried from the battlefield by captive hands.