13 December 1937. The Japanese army storms Nanjing, the capital of China at the time. What follows is one of the most violent and controversial periods in history, its consequences still affecting Sino-Japanese relations to this day. Some even deny that it ever happened.

Appalled by such reactions and fearing that the horrors of the massacre may be forgotten, author He Jianming sets out to chronicle the truth behind the many war crimes. These include the massacre of every captured Chinese man under the guise of 'mopping up' defeated soldiers, the widespread plague of rape and murder that terrorised the female population of the city, and the looting of cultural relics and a national fortune.

He compiles records from Chinese, Japanese and international sources, from those who witnessed, survived and committed the atrocities, In the hope that the Nanjing Massacre will never be forgotten.