The novel takes place in China in the 13th century. Young Marco Polo, while at the court of the aging Kublai Khan, is faced with the underbelly of power, with betrayal. We see how the main character loves and grows up.

What is the meaning of the title? The fact is that Kublai, who was the ruler of one of the largest empires in the world, is aging and he is saddened by the fact that he is no longer interested in anything. And he asks Marco Polo to build him a machine that would allow him to travel through the dreams of other people, to see the world through their eyes. He hopes it will revive his aging senses. Marco Polo builds this machine, and when they start it up, all sorts of adventures begin to happen, which make up the detective plot of the novel.