Wu Jin has both brains and beauty. Though poor, his family are noble enough for Jin to sit the imperial examinations in the hope of obtaining a high-ranking government position at the court of Tang Dynasty China. When his parents are killed, Jin clings to his dreams, and travels to the provincial capital for the exams. Pursued by a sinister horseman into the forest, Jin seeks refuge at a tumbledown inn, little realizing that he's entered the abode of a fox-spirit. Tian Zhen is a transcendental fox of immense power and considerable seductive charm. He's startled when Jin sees through his illusions, and believes it's Jin's destiny not only to become his lover, but also to help him find a lost talisman, the symbol of Zhen's heavenly role as the Guardian of Thunder. But convincing Jin won't be easy, and the search for the talisman turns dangerous when Jin discovers it's connected to the man who murdered his parents...