Introduction: Family dynamics under patriarchy
I. Planning a business dynasty, 1970-1932. Parents who dreamed of a business dynasty ; Sons who tried for admission to Cambridge ; Sons who did not want to become British citizens
II. Behaving contrary to the plan, 1932-1937. A son who wanted to drop out of Harvard ; A son who was sick ; A son who proposed marriage to a Westernized woman ; A daughter who spoiled a marriage alliance
III. Reacting to war, 1938-1945. Sons who became leaders in wartime ; A son who joined the Communists ; A son who battled depression ; Mother's struggle to save her marriage ; The family's postwar disunion and reunion
IV. Adapting to revolution, 1946-1956. Father's decision to live in the People's Republic ; A daughter who forged family alliances ; A son who refused to return to China ; Parent's deaths and children's dispersal
Conclusion: The inner history of a Chinese family.
