[6] The murderer of Midi Takaoka, one of her former lovers, confessed to the crime after turning himself in to the police[7] and was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after five years.

China Dolls centers on three young women who are attracted to the San Francisco nightclub scene right before American involvement in World War II.

In helping Grace find Charlie Low's new Forbidden City (nightclub),[10] Helen is tempted to try out as well since no previous experience is needed.

At the dance tryouts, Helen and Grace meet Ruby Tom (Kimiko Fukutomi) – a very attractive dancer who was born in Los Angeles but then moved to Hawaii with her Japanese family.

Although the three young women are immediately drawn to each other, the reader soon senses that their deepening friendship will be threatened by conflicts over careers, love, and hidden secrets.

Grace must learn how to become tougher as she deals with first love, betrayal, repeated career rejection, and good breaks that often lead to bad consequences.

Although her family suffers immediately from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and from the anti-Japanese reaction that follows, Ruby insists that she is an American and tries to pass herself off as a Chinese performer – until her true identity is betrayed to the FBI and she is sent to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah.

He concluded that See's work transcends the category of women's fiction, warranting "wider respect for the distinctive worlds she recreates and the care she takes in depicting the relationships within them", thus appealing to both male and female readers.

[13] Eugenia Zukerman terms China Dolls a "superb new historical novel",[14] adding that "the conclusion of this emotional, informative and brilliant page-turner resonates with resilience and humanity."

Publishers Weekly noted the alternation of points of view among the three main characters, "with each woman's voice strong and dynamic, developing a multilayered richness as it progresses.

"[15] Kirkus Reviews faults the novel's "episodic and creaky plot" yet concludes by praising See for shedding light on a part of show business history that has been largely overlooked.