The adult children of the Yen family gather in Hong Kong after the death of their father, Joseph Yen. Throughout most of his life, Joseph Yen was a wealthy and successful businessman; thus, his children visit their father’s banker with the expectation of receiving considerable amounts of money from his will. The only absent child is Susan, Adeline’s stepsister who has been disinherited.

Their stepmother—whom they refer to as Niang, a Chinese term for mother—sits imposingly at the head of a long table. After the will executor hands out copies of the will, he explains that their mother “has requested you don’t turn the page for the time being” (2). When he reaches the bottom of the first page, the executor states, “‘I have been instructed by your mother, Mrs. Jeanne Yen, to tell you that there is no money in your father’s estate’” (3).

Niang yells at the children that their father “died penniless” (3), frightening them into submission despite their suspicions that Niang is not telling the full truth. They hand back their copies of the will without reading on, as instructed. Adeline explains that this behavior stems back to Niang’s treatment of them as children, which ingrained a “collective docility” (3) deep into their psyches.