When a present day archivist and a 1920s photographer forge an impossible bond across time, they try to maintain their love before the encroaching shadows of global warfare sever their connection forever

'At once a love story, a meditation on photography, an elegant historical fiction, and a gripping tale that enchanted me to the very last page' Melissa Fu, author of  Peach Blossom Spring

At work one night, photography archivist Charlie Sze-Toh receives a misdirected letter from Wang Tian Wei, a 1920s colonial era Chinese photographer. Through a mysterious digital folder and photographic plates, a conversation is sparked, leading to a romance that spans lifetimes.

In his time, Tian Wei scours a turbulent Singapore for his missing friend Aiko, leading him to the perfumed chambers of a Japanese brothel. Meanwhile, in the modern day, Charlie struggles against a family dynamic dominated by her stepmother, a manipulative matriarch who uses family secrets as bargaining chips.

Communication starts to become difficult and Tian Wei's letters are tinged by the increasing threat of Japanese Occupation. Will one last fate-defying letter from Charlie allow Tian Wei to keep their love alive?