Erika Arendt, a Jewish refugee marked by relentless pursuit, survives the Nazi massacre of her family with a photographic memory that safeguards "The List of Hope"—a covert registry of paintings hidden from Nazi plunder. This ability cements her as a priority target for recovering forces. Her mind also harbors "Tentei’s Thunderbolts," classified atomic weapon schematics sought by the shadowy Nahash organization, intertwining her fate with global power struggles.

Under the reluctant guardianship of martial artist Liu Fei-Yan, Erika flees Harbin for Shanghai, transporting a vital, undisclosed item meant for French intelligence officer Charles de Guise. When successive protectors perish, Liu abandons plans to transfer her care, vowing direct protection. Her fragmented past resurfaces in Nohal Naha’s ruins, where suppressed atomic visions materialize on parchment, thrusting her deeper into the conflict.

Rootless and haunted by recurrent loss, Erika navigates 1930s Shanghai’s perilous landscape, relying on allies like Liu and Kenshiro Kasumi to evade cross-faction adversaries. Her memories—a nexus of art, annihilation, and atomic secrets—anchor her as both weapon and witness in a clash where personal survival mirrors the era’s fractured alliances.