The Chinese Cinderella's a story of an unwanted daughters life up till when she finishes school. It is a true story written by the daughter herself. Adeline Yen Mah's mother died giving birth to her, and from then on her family considered her bad luck. She lived in Tianjin with her three brothers, sister, grandfather, grandmother, Aunt Baba, father and stepmother, Niang and her son.

Adeline loved her school and she was very academic and always topped her class. Working hard was the only way to get her fathers attention, but because of this her brothers and sister became jealous and bullied her. But Aunt Baba was loving and caring and kept Adeline's work like her deepest treasures. When Adeline's grandmother died they moved to Shanghai, where her father, stepmother and her son had disappeared to for two years. But Aunt Baba, her grandfather and Niangs young daughter...