<DIV><P>Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Department is often assigned cases considered politically "sensitive" and now the Minister of Public Security insists that&nbsp;Chen personally&nbsp;take on a 'special assignment.' Leery of international embarrassment, the party&nbsp;is concerned about&nbsp; rumors related to Chairman Mao.&nbsp; Jiao, the granddaughter of an actress who had a 'special relationship' to Mao&nbsp;has moved into a luxury apartment and become&nbsp;involved with a new social set centered around the remnants of pre-Communist Shanghai society.&nbsp;All without any visible means of support.<BR>Worried&nbsp;that Jiao&nbsp;has inherited some sort of artifact that could prove damaging to Mao&#8217;s reputation, Chen has been given a few short days to infiltrate her social circle, determine if the feared material exists and, if it does, retrieve it quietly.&nbsp;And if he fails, the consequences will be unpleasant for all concerned.</P></DIV>