Life is hard for Sophie, recently orphaned in Victorian London. Then an uncle dies and leaves her a substantial legacy–if she can return a dragon’s egg to an uncharted region of Asia in a year’s time. Her only guide is a tiny ivory figurine of a unicorn which comes to life and talks to her. With a telepathic cat and other companions, Sophie is betrayed by a treacherous guide, captured by fierce Mongols, caught in an avalanche, and lost in an underground maze, all the while the deadline continues to approach.