The Great Game was the contest for influence in Central Asia between the 19th and early 20th century which involved the colonial powers Great Britain, Russia, Japan, and the United States. One of the greatest casualties of The Great Game was the looting of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, a treasure trove of Tang Dynasty Buddhist art and literary works hidden in a once prosperous silk road town. This work of historical fiction reimagines the motivations and inner thoughts of some of the figures involved, Hungarian archaeologists, Russian soldiers, and local Chinese officials.