990 CE, Tanjore, India Twelve-year-old Raji is growing up during the reign of Rajaraja Chola in south India. Raji is a girl of spirit--brave, bright and bold. She is also a dancer, a warrior and a sculptor who models kingdoms in stone. Raji, however is not happy: she misses her family. Her mother is in exile and her father has left home in grief. On a dark night as a storm rages, Raji rescues a Chinese sailor at sea. This sets off a chain of events...