The book begins in 1937[1] and focuses on Vautrin and her work at Ginling College to protect people during the massacre.

[3] Pin-chia Feng of National Chiao Tung University wrote that while Anling narrates, the novel "unquestionably" makes Vautrin its protagonist.

[3] Pin-chia Feng wrote that due to the novel's focus on the women, the author was "deliberately distancing his work from a nationalist stance".

[3] Hilton praised the fact Ha Jin did not write in his native language but added there was "some awkward phrasing", and she criticized the use of American slang.

[2] Marie Arana of the Washington Post criticized the "surprisingly sterile, drained of the blood" method of writing about incidents and the "textbook" style that action is described, although she stated the author "can sometimes rise to the occasion".