Anzhuang Wang, a detective in the Beijing police department, starts investigating a cult - the New Church of the Heavenly Kingdom - when his sister-in-law "Julie" gets involved with the group. The church has ties that lead back to the 19th century Taiping Rebellion and maintains a strictly non-political stance. Still, given the current climate in Beijing, the recent crackdown on the Fa Lun Gong, and the current initiation from above against nuisance crime, there is much about the situation to make Wang nervous. As a cloud of death and danger begins to surround the church, Wang must now find a way to protect his family, defy the pressure from somewhere high above him in the party structure, and uncover the truth before it is too late.