Publisher's Synopsis
A nine-year old orphan leaves her village in China to live with her maternal aunt and uncle in Macao. She falls in love with a mysterious Chinese-Portuguese boy; but at age 16 her education is cut off abruptly, and she is whisked off to America to fulfill an arranged marriage. Hai-lan painfully but quickly adjusts to her mother-in-law's tyranny and her new responsibility of raising her husband's nine siblings. Struggling to become independent, she weaves through an obstacle course of tradition and culture both Chinese and American. She discovers a special relationship with the spiritual world.
