Thundergate

Robert Wells, a half‑American, half‑Chinese youth raised amid the lantern‑lit alleys of Shanghai, is dispatched to the remote frontier of Thundergate at the behest of his uncle, James Sanderson, to supervise a monumental bridge project commissioned by the Chinese government. Under the ostensibly benign gaze of Ray Williams, the construction manager who covertly serves imperialist interests, Wells is lured into a narcotic haze that erodes his diligence and spirals him into a state of languid neglect. In this stupor, he encounters the errant heir of the enigmatic Lord of Thundergate, whose uncanny resemblance to Wells triggers a daring exchange of identities. The swap catapults Wells into a labyrinthine conspiracy, where he must navigate treacherous sabotage, a burgeoning romance with a Chinese‑reared white woman, and a grueling path toward physical redemption, ultimately emerging as a reluctant hero whose dual heritage becomes the linchpin of his salvation.