Shen Tai, son of a revered general of the Tang-inspired empire of Kitai, spends two years at a distant battlefield burying the bones of soldiers from both sides. As reward for his piety, a Sardian princess sends him 250 of the world's most prized horses—a gift so vast it could destabilize the empire. Suddenly a pawn in the deadly game of imperial succession, Shen Tai must navigate court intrigue, assassination attempts, and political treachery.

Shen Tai is a man of quiet honor thrust into extraordinary circumstance—reflective, resourceful, and deeply aware of his own limitations. In River of Stars, the outlaw-turned-general Ren Daiyan burns with ambition and loyalty in equal measure, while the scholar's daughter Lin Shan defies the age with her brilliance and courage.

Across two companion novels set centuries apart in the same fictional empire of Kitai, Kay explores how individuals of integrity are shaped—and sometimes crushed—by the forces of history. Under Heaven follows Shen Tai from isolation to the heart of imperial power during a dynasty's golden age, while River of Stars traces Ren Daiyan across a fractured empire fighting for survival. Both arcs meditate on honor, glory, love, and the personal cost of living in extraordinary times.