A story about people who lived in China during the Cultural Revolution and about their children, among whom were the students who protested in Tiananmen Square in 1989. At the center of the story are two young women Marie Jiang and Ai Ming. Marie has lived in Vancouver for many years and is trying to recreate family history. Together with her, the reader will learn what befell her father, the talented pianist Jiang Kai, the father of Ai Ming Sparrow and the young violinist Zhu Li, and how their fates affected the lives of the next generation.