Award-winning author Lien Chao weaves together these emotionally charged short stories focusing on Chinese immigrants in Toronto’s multiracial neighbourhoods.

In a public playground Wei Ming finds herself strangely alone, but she takes an unusual step when she observes the prejudices at work among the parents and children; middle-aged and divorced, Katherine mulls over the possibilities of spending a lonely life and marrying a stable and safe Chinese suitor whose food tastes are from a different region; making an impulsive phone call to China, Yi Mei discovers her love for “wanton woman” Ai Hua, whom she left behind more than a decade ago; Teacher Lu is an advisor, a refuge, and even a prospective bride to her various students . . . The female protagonists of these and other stories find love, face loneliness, confront crises, and overcome racial stereotypes as they evolve and grow in an ever-changing milieu.