Taking place in a futuristic Beijing, sixteen-year-old cyborg Cinder supports her lazy step-family by working as a mechanic at the town marketplace. Cinder finds herself in unusual circumstances when the prince of New Beijing comes to her market stand, desperately requesting the repair of his childhood android. He claims the android holds only sentimental value, bit Cinder suspects the android is far more important than that. It’s possible that the android holds a key secret pertaining to the horrible illness which has plagues the land for many years.

The story is an interesting and unusual take on the fairy tale Cinderella, portraying an expertly woven futuristic backdrop and giving readers a strong female protagonist to follow.