The king, who loves adventures, is imprisoned during one of his long journeys. When the queen sets out to find her husband, she must travel in disguise. This is a tale of love, devotion, and ingenuity from the days of medieval Russia. Includes special educational sections: Words to know, What do you think?, and about Russia.

Through the stories of a terra-cotta soldier who has survived through the centuries, thirteen-year-old Ming, a village boy in 1970s China, learns the history of Emperor Qin, known both for building the Great Wall of China and for burying scholars alive, and how and why the terra-cotta soldiers came to be.