Singapore, 1972: Newly independent, a city of immigrants grapple for power. Gangsters are the last conduits of the gods their ancestors brought with them, and the back alleys are the last place where magic has not been legislated away.

When Adeline's mother dies with a butterfly seared onto her skin, Adeline hunts down a girl she saw in a back-alley bar fight - a girl with a butterfly tattoo - only to discover that she's far from alone.

Ang Tian is a Red Butterfly: one of a gang of girls sworn to a fire goddess, empowered to wreak vengeance on the men who abuse them. Adeline's mother led a double life as their patron, Madam Butterfly. Now that she's dead, Adeline's bloodline is the sole link to this goddess.

But no home lasts long around here. Adeline may have found her place, but it may take everything she's got to keep it.