There was once a young wife named Xiaoqing who was driven from her home by a jealous sister-wife. She took refuge in a crumbling temple, where a snake spirit took pity on her and taught her the arts of beauty and grace.

The snake spirit — a white serpent who had cultivated her powers for a thousand years — saw in Xiaoqing a kindred soul. Together, they faced the censure of gods and men who could not accept a bond between human and spirit.

When the monk Fahai discovered their alliance, he declared it an abomination before Heaven. He raised his golden alms bowl — a divine artifact that could imprison any demon — and brought the full weight of Buddhist orthodoxy against them.

Xiaoqing and her spirit companion fought not just for survival, but for the right to exist. Their battle raised a flood that threatened the city of Hangzhou. In the end, what saved them was not power but the testimony of the humans they had aided.