Young Ono-no Komati enters service in the imperial palace and becomes the lady-in-waiting of one of the concubines. Soon she faces an inexplicable phenomenon: in the suburbs of capital Heian appears a mysterious flying golden palanquin.
The young lady-in-waiting marries a shining guard. However, he dies during the suppression of a rebellion in one of the far-off provinces. To drown the pain of losing him, the lady throws herself wholeheartedly into composing poetry. The Empress, Lady of Jade, highly values Ono-no Komati and her works. And soon the girl becomes her lady-in-waiting. She must unravel the mystery of the Plum Pavilion, untangle a chain of mysterious events in the capital Heian, and prevent an assassination attempt on the Emperor’s life.