A military wife, university instructor, and mother of three children including an adopted Chinese daughter recounts her experiences while stationed in a small town in China, where her efforts to adapt are challenged by propaganda-related belief systems and her family's decidedly American perspectives.

Gate -- Home -- Teach -- Population -- Learn -- The exam -- Winter -- Mountains, water -- Foreign -- Independence -- Mount Tai -- Words -- God -- Countryside -- Return -- Familiar -- Same -- Tired -- Contradiction -- Identity -- Cold -- Christmas -- Unique -- The Kitchen God -- Silk -- Hong Kong -- Egg -- Language -- The West -- Woman -- Sports -- Freedom -- Relationships.