An innkeeper's chore boy discovers that a visitor's stories hold the key to returning the moon to the Starry River of the Sky.

Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.

"Wondrous dragons live in jewel encrusted palaces under the ground and stars and animals speak. Emperors live out their exquisite lives surrounded by the most refined art and luxury. Yet all these stories are rooted in a love of ordinary things and a timeless regard for honesty and simplicity. Virtue is more prized than riches and there is more delight in the song of a bird than in all the craft and there is more delight in the song of a bird than...