A daughter’s quest to end a legacy of secrets, lies and shame born of her mother’s illegal immigration to America reveals the consequences of economic privation, war, exclusion, and the long term impact of the veiled experience on four generations of Chinese American women and their identities, even as American citizens. Part memoir, part history, part investigation, the discoveries made profoundly change the relationship between mother and daughter and serves as a cautionary tale in the ongoing debates about unwanted immigrants.