"As the end of the world arrives in downtown Shanghai, one man's only wish is to return a library book ... When a publisher agrees to let a star author use his company's attic to write in, little does he suspect this will become the author's permanent residence ... As Shanghai succumbs to a seemingly apocalyptic deluge, a man takes refuge in his bathtub, only to find himself, moments later, floating through the city's streets ... The characters in this literary exploration of one of the world's biggest cities are all on a mission. Whether it is responding to events around them, or following some impulse of their own, they are defined by their determination - a refusal to lose themselves in a city that might otherwise leave them anonymous, disconnected, alone."--Back cover.