<p>As the end of the world arrives in downtown Shanghai, one man’s only wish is to return a library book...</p><p> </p><p>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...</p><p> </p><p>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...</p><p> </p><p>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. </p><p> </p><p>From the neglected mother whose side-hustle in collecting sellable waste becomes an obsession, to the schoolboy determined to end a long-standing feud between his family and another, these characters show a defiance that reminds us why Shanghai – despite its hurtling economic growth –remains an epicentre for individual creativity.</p>