China, 8th century BCE: Silk is money as well as the height of fashion, and the women who weave it can work and live independently in the state of Morning Song.

When thirteen-year old Fahng is sold to a master weaver, she’s tasked with solving the meaning of a "sampler" made of string and bamboo. The sampler is more than weaving lore; it’s a forgotten language of knotted patterns that she must understand to complete her apprenticeship. 

Using clues from tradition and her fellow weavers, Fahng struggles to grasp the sampler’s wisdom. If she can learn the weaving guild’s closely guarded technique for making a rare gauze, she can secure her place in the weaver’s guild and become its master.

After discovering a mysterious child, Hwagway, in the temple of the moon goddess, young weaving master Fahng is embroiled in a scheme of Jōshwee, the Duke’s half brother, to usurp the throne. Hwagway tells Fahng about a set of magical pitch pipes that can help the Duke protect Morning Song, and they embark on a quest through the Jade Emperor’s Skyland to find them.

On Mount Kunlun, which is suspended between earth and heaven at the western edge of the world, live the phoenix pair that sings the true tones, and fairy bamboo that grows there can be cut to the right length to imitate their song. Fahng must navigate the Milky Way with a crew of celestial sailors to reach Kunlun and restore harmony to the dukedom.

Weaving Master Fahng has returned from her journey to Mount Kunlun. An array of thirty-six tattoos like those of Shrpo and Hwahgway have appeared on her body. These mystical markings hold the sampler’s Patterns, glowing with deep wisdom to guide her along the way. 

The threat of Jōshwee hangs over the Dukedom of Morning Song, and Fahng has to find a way to channel her powers in the city’s defense. Armed with a pair of transcendent swords and several new companions, Fahng must use her growing skills to counter Jōshwee’s plot. If she’s successful, she will come into her own as the Sorceress of Morning Song.