Mae Watkins, a University of Michigan student, unexpectedly falls in love with a Chinese international law student in the midst of World War I. Despite the socially unacceptable pairing the couple decide to tie the knot and forge ahead with an unsure future. Mae demonstrates her unique ability to observe and describe a foreign culture after their move to Shanghai. She documents in detail her perceptions of Chinese fashion and food in addition to her knowledge of such controversial customs as foot binding and widow suicide. She offers great compassion for her Chinese family, both current and past. This book was ghost written by Katherine Anne Porter and published in Asia in serialized form in 1920. The original manuscript has been lost, but the serial form was subsequently republished. - Summary by Danielle Cartwright