Buck paints the portrait of a poor woman living in a remote village whose joys are few and hardships are many. As the ancient traditions, which she bases her philosophies upon, begin to collide with the new ideals of the communist era, this peasant woman must find a balance between them and deal with the consequences.

    It had been her dream to see China, but to be accepted into this family so intimately was amazing to Nora. This evocative, brilliant memoir, published 13 years after her return to the West, became a bestseller alongside those of Pearl Buck, Alice Tisdale Hobart, and Grace Seton Thompson.