Summary

In Chapter 10, Mae and Wen began their new lives in Hong Kong. Wen gambled often and drank heavily. At a market, Mae experienced the phenomenon of time stopping. After a few years, they got married. They received an offer from a family friend to work in America and left Hong Kong. In Chapter 11, in America, Wen changed his name to Charles. Mae changed her name to May. They moved into a cramped and dirty apartment. They began working at a lab run by another Chinese immigrant named Yang. In Chapter 12, Yang introduced them to the wealthy businessmen who had bought the lab. One of the men introduced himself as Otto. Mae was told she would have to learn English if she wanted to keep her job under the new owners.

At this point, the novel switches into the third person and the present...