IF POSSIBLE,WILL COMBINE BOOKS TO SAVE ON POSTAGELia Frank, an appraiser of fine Chinese porcelain, is sent from New York to Beijing to catalogue and appraise a rare collection. Instead of the 20 pieces she is expecting, she is presented with 800, many of them originating from the Imperial Porcelain collection. As Lia examines her treasure, other wheels are also in motion: among the professional smugglers who take porcelain across the border between mainland China and Hong Kong; among connoisseurs looking for a special piece; even among the mainland Chinese police, who do not flinch from imposing the highest penalty on anyone caught smuggling. And Lia is drawn into a love affair that alters the course of her life forever. In this world beauty always has a price and nothing can be judged too finely.