May seeks safety with John as the Nanjing Massacre occurs, resulting in the deaths of almost all of the members of her family.

May, after the end of World War II, decides to ensure that the Nanjing community is redressed, while John returns to the United States.

[2] Cheng, who works at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a professor, stated that some coworkers suggested he attend an event called "The Atomic Bombs: Myth, Memory and History," a symposium held on April 13, 1995, stating that it was not accurately presenting World War II, and Cheng, after attending, believed that the symposium wrongly vilified the United States for using nuclear weapons on Japan.

"[3] Kirkus Reviews praises the research used to build the book and stated it was "capably written" and that it establishes "a vivid portrait of 1930s urban China".

[2] Zhu Dongyang and Guo Yina of Xinhua wrote that the "Gripping and disturbing" work has "a compelling story".