Young Violet lives in 1905 Shanghai with her mother. As she explains in first-person narration, “When I was seven, I knew exactly who I was: a thoroughly American girl in race, manners, and speech, whose mother, Lulu Minturn, was the only white woman who owned a first-class courtesan house in Shanghai” (1).

Unlike prostitutes, the women who work for Lulu are courted as long-term mistresses by their customers. The House of Lulu Mimi is also a social club where Westerners mingle with wealthy Chinese. Lulu is an astute businesswoman who brokers various deals for her clientele. Patrons don’t vie for her sexual favors; they compete for her financial influence.

Years earlier, Lulu bought a supposedly haunted house and hired a fake feng shui master to exorcise the ghost of its previous owner. The ceremony was witnessed by crowds of people, immediately garnering attention for the new courtesan house. Lulu reinvented herself by taking the Chinese name of Lulu Mimi and calling her house the Hidden Jade Path, which was the western translation of her Asian name.

Lulu wants Violet to have a good education, but girls at the local school refuse to accept her among them. Lulu finally resorts to hiring tutors for her daughter.