As World War II winds down in 1945, Commander M.T. Kwan returns from serving with the British to his war-ravaged hometown of Guilin, China. As the Japanese pull back, Kwan—aka The Dragon—hopes to retrieve his family from where they’ve taken refuge farther inland. Colonel Lindsay Ride, his commandant with the British Army Aid Group, shows up at his family estate. He wants Kwan to scout occupied Hong Kong and determine the intentions of the Japanese, the Nationalists, the Communists, and the residential Hongkongers. Since no one knows when the Japanese surrender will come, Ride wants Kwan to leave immediately. Kwan is conflicted, but he finds another reason to go: It gives him an opportunity to locate his long-lost love, Iris, who last lived in Hong Kong. Once there, Kwan meets with and assesses the motivations of all the involved parties, assisted by James Chua, his loyal aide-de-camp, and Leck, a recalcitrant local BAAG agent. He also reunites with Iris, but he later learns that she has a secret that may keep them apart. The atomic bombs falling on Japan speed up Kwan’s timetable as he seeks some way to keep Hong Kong in British hands. Daniel’s experience as a banking executive in London and Asia (including two tours in Hong Kong) informs the textured background of this gripping spy novel. In this prequel to Follow the Dragon (2024), the first volume of his Dragon series, the author delves deeply into Kwan’s history, explaining how he came to land in Hong Kong and how he learns to balance his Anglophilic and Chinese sides. He introduces a colorful cast of characters, with Kwan struggling to determine who agrees with British rule and who is likely against it. The narrative’s pace is frenetic as Kwan races against the clock while in unfamiliar territory. Ultimately, Daniel skillfully captures a period of time that would change the face of China for another half century.