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 with unforeseen consequences. A Shiva statue goes missing, a prince disappears and there is a murder inside a temple. As Raji and her friends, the prince Rajendra Chola and his cousin, Ananta, try to help the Chinese mariner, they realize that he may have some of the answers Raji has been looking for. Will the Criminals be brought to justice? Will Raji's family be reunited once again? Will peace be restored to the mighty Chola Kingdom?