At eighteen, secluded mystic prodigy Charles Sterling is sent down the mountain to fulfill a marriage contract with the Drake family. Upon arriving in Riverton, he saves the cursed Drake heiress, Vivian Drake. He immediately sees through a malicious geomantic trap laid against the Drakes, uses a lost acupuncture technique to wake the comatose family patriarch, Richard Drake, and humbles the arrogant medical genius Henry Quinn. Stepmother Helen and her son Julian Drake collude with outsiders to seize power, tearing up talismans and triggering a backlash of miasma. Charles repeatedly steps in to resolve the crises, exposing conspiracies, vanquishing evil forces, and ultimately uncovering the mastermind behind it all. He unravels the mystery of his own origins, protects the Drake family, and finds true love.