Beijing, China, 1421: It is a momentous time for the Ming Dynasty. Honoring the completion of the Forbidden City, a fleet of unprecedented size sets sail under Admiral Zheng He. ZhengEUR(TM)s mission is to chart the globe, trading for riches and bringing glory to ChinaEUR(TM)s emperor. Among the crew is the talented cartographer and navigator Ma Zhi, whose work will lead to the first true map of the worldEUR"but whose accomplishment will vanish when the fleet returns to a very different China than the one it left.Lisbon, Portugal, 1496: At the height of PortugalEUR(TM)s maritime domination during the Age of Discovery, the legendary explorer Vasco da Gama embarks on a quest to find a sea route to India. On board is navigator Antonio Coehlo, who guards PortugalEUR(TM)s most secret a map that already shows the way.New York, present Mara CoyneEUR(TM)s new client has left her uneasy. Republican kingmaker Richard Tobias has hired her, he says, because of her skill