When her husband is killed in a car accident, Ying finds herself alone in a strange land to raise her children. Through her ingenuity and strong work ethic, she gets by, and over time she finds fulfillment in the family she is rearing. Back home, Chan has enough grit and anger to survive the reeducation and work camps run by the Communists. With Ying’s help, he escapes China and comes to America. Still, he cannot help but resent Ying, nor can he forgive his extended family that lived off him in China. He believes, as well, that his family has stolen from him his inheritance—the family jade stones that his mother kept. He refuses to help his extended family come to America.
Little does Chan know that, years before, Ying’s mother gave her the family stones, a prize she has kept secret for years because of her love and longing for her mother. Seeing no other way to unite their family in America, Ying heads to New York to see Chan, the stones in hand.
