Daiyu

Daiyu is the protagonist of the novel, and begins the story as a young girl who lives in Zhifu, China, with her parents and grandmother. Her parents own a tapestry shop and move unexpectedly to a small seaside town before mysteriously disappearing. Daiyu's grandmother dresses her as a boy and sends her into to Zhifu to protect her from a similar fate as her parents.

In Zhifu, a local calligraphy master named Master Wang takes Daiyu under his wing, and she finds her passion studying Chinese characters with him. One day at the fish market she is kidnapped by a seemingly friendly character named Jasper. He locks Daiyu in a dark cell and an old woman teaches her English. When she has mastered English, Jasper locks her in a large bucket of coal and ships her to America.

In San Francisco, Daiyu is purchased by Madame Lee, the...