Young Spring Moon is born into a privileged upper-class family called the House of Chang, where she learns about Chinese customs, especially social order and responsibilities. But then, the changing political climate of the Chinese Revolution threatens the order of Soochow, and Spring Moon's family is torn apart by political disagreements. To top it all off, Spring Moon is supposed to be moving into her adult life, marrying and raising a family, but she keeps going back and forth until finally, she can't stand her arrangement to be married to the son of Pan Tai Tai, and she begs for her family's intervention. Ultimately, they rearrange her into a marriage with Glad Promise.
After the wedding, the couple make the voyage to Peking, about a week and a half's journey. As a wealthy person, Spring Moon's experience of the rest of the world is often shocking and she finds herself at the crossroads of her traditional views and her political awareness of the plight of the lower class of China, and she senses a change that may not be beneficial for her family or the established upper class of China in general.
After some time, she returns to her homeland to find a radically changing environment. Her family men are married, and the introduction of Christianity and Communism each disrupt the established traditions and values of the house, causing conflict, confusion, and long-term identity crisis for Spring Moon and for the family in general.
