The story takes place in a fictional country inspired by imperial China under the Tang dynasty.

At 17, Mao Mao has a complicated life. Trained from a young age by an apothecary in the pleasure district, she is kidnapped and sold as a servant in the inner court of the imperial palace. Surrounded by high walls, she is cut off from the outside world. To survive in this luxurious prison teeming with plots and low schemes, the young girl tries to hide her knowledge to blend in but without success. When the suspicious deaths of newborn princes unsettle the court, her passion for remedies and poisons takes over. She observes everything, investigates, and quickly finds the solution. Trying to do good, she is noticed. Jinshi, a high official as handsome as he is calculating, guesses her talent and promotes her as the personal taster of one of the emperor’s favourites. In the middle of this nest of vipers, Mao Mao will use all her intelligence and knowledge to unravel the court’s intrigues because the slightest misstep could be fatal to her.""