For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desiresFor Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household—a place of public ceremony and private cruelty—fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir. The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a terrible revenge. But with the passing years comes a reckoning, and Feng must come to terms with the sacrifices and terrible choices she has made in order to assure her place in family and society—even as the violent, relentless tide of revolution engulfs her country.