The story opens with a description of the kingdom of ba, which lies "farther to the south" than the mountain ranges. The kingdom is ruled by a "wise and brave queen" . The young girl who lives in the kingdom has grown up in the care and love of other people, but there is an evil dragon group that wants to take over the kingdom and transform her into an imperial dragon. She will save the kingdom for 1,000 years. On her 16th birthday, the narrator tells us, it is time for the young girl to transform herself into a dragon. He tells us that he has been harvesting dragon tail grass, which is a good food to make dragon cake, for the past five years. He also gives us a bag of corn to make a new coat for his grandson. The narrator tells him that it has been five years since he first heard about the dragon girl's story. He says that she has become pretty, a bubu bird has been born, and wang, the house manager, has not yet finished his new clothes. He asks the narrator if he can meet the queen, but the narrator says that it is impossible for a girl to become a dragon through her own bloodline.