In an alternate Han Imperial China, dragons had been banished from the kingdom due to matters of distrust. The Chinese Emperor has enslaved and imprisoned dragons inside large pens, harnessing their Qi (psychic energy) to extend his life. An orphan girl named Ping is raised as a slave at a large pen by a kindly elderly woman named Lao Ma, who are tasked with feeding the captive dragons Long Danzi and Lu Yu. The pen is run by Master Lan, who mistreats Ping and Lao Ma. Ping also befriends a rat named Hua.