 Despite Phoenix's dreams of a good life as a rich merchant's wife, she soon learns that reality is not so golden—Lau Ah Leong has many conniving wives who control the family.While she fights to provide her children with a good life in this environment she learns more about Lau Ah Leong, who is the focus of the book.Phoenix first heard of Lau Ah Leong when she was eight, never suspecting then that she would become his daughter-in-law.