A fictional account of the lifelong friendship between Willow, a young Chinese girl, and Pearl, the daughter of Christian missionaries who would become the celebrated author, Pearl S. Buck. Young Pearl and Willow become friends in a small southern China town and share their experiences of growing up, love, and motherhood. When civil war erupts, Pearl is forced to leave the country while Willow's "imperialist" ties threaten her safety in Mao's regime. Though a world apart, the two women remain friends.
