The Image and the Likeness

A quartet of Western scholars lands in a freshly liberated Shanghai, hoping to study ancient human remains on a remote island. Their official cover—a scientific expedition into anthropology, geology and zoology—quickly gives way to a covert mission: to probe the rising force of New Buddhism, a fervent movement that now swirls through the streets of a continent shedding its colonial past. As the city bustles with polite yet wary locals, the team feels the weight of unseen agendas, from former soldiers turned robed preachers to hidden political currents that may still be tied to old superpowers.

Inside the plush New China Hotel, the researchers receive a terse warning from a U.S. diplomat, hinting that the serene veneer of this new faith could mask a deeper, more dangerous purpose. With curiosity sharpened and stakes rising, they begin a careful dance between curiosity and caution, trying to discern whether the movement is a genuine spiritual revival or a strategic front for broader ambitions.