Wou Sankwei, the only son of the town magistrate, loses his father when he is young. Due to his father’s death, Wou Sankwei’s future is derailed. Instead of completing his schooling in another province, he stays home where his mother and sister waited on him. The only option for employment is to become a fisherman, but his mother tells him that taking on this work would dishonor the family.

Wou Sankwei meets two men who had been to the United States. The first is a peddler who had made and lost a fortune in America. Wou Sankwei meets the second peddler when he is around 19-years-old. Ching Kee had amassed a small fortune while living and working in America. He tells the young man: “’Tis a hard life over there […] but ‘tis worth while. At least one can be a man, and can work at what work comes his way without losing face” (29).

Wou Sankwei asks his mother to give him her blessing to go to America. She agrees but insists she find him a wife who “can comfort [her] for [his] loss” (29).