Chapter 1 Summary

The story opens with Pearl introducing her extended family: her mother, Winnie, her Auntie Helen (first married to her mother's brother, Kun, now to Uncle Henry Kwong) and their children: Mary, Frank and Roger, whom they call Bao-Bao, which means precious baby. He is 31 and getting married for the third time. Winnie has phoned Pearl with an invitation to his engagement party. Pearl does not want to go and tries to make excuses, but resigns herself out of a sense of duty.

Days later, Winnie calls Pearl to say Grand Auntie Du has died at 97, and her funeral will be the same weekend as the engagement party. Although Auntie Du is Helen's blood relative, Pearl thinks it is a bit strange that Winnie has always been her primary caretaker. She attributes it to the close relationship between Winnie and Helen, who went into...