This story follows a group of people as they endure the horrors of World War II and the Cultural Revolution, and what the aftermaths of those events have meant for themselves and for their extended families and descendants. The author provides an interesting perspective as many people are unaware of the role that China, specifically Shanghai, played in rescuing European Jews from the Nazis. The stories of Jewish refugees, local Chinese in Shanghai, and their Japanese occupiers are threaded together and give a fresh look at the horrific circumstances of the time.