This novel tells the story of two university students, a man and a woman, who fall in love in Xi'an in the mid-1960s.
After six years together, the couple are about to graduate when a series of misunderstandings leads the woman to abandon her boyfriend. Devastated by the heartbreak, he sinks into despair and cannot pull himself together. He tries to become a monk and live in seclusion for the rest of his life, but fails. Alone, he goes to teach in a poor, underdeveloped county deep in the Southern Mountains. Eight years later, he starts a family there. His work is going exceptionally well, and his future looks bright, when he suddenly quits his job to go into business. The reason? His former girlfriend is now terminally ill, and he wants to earn money for her treatment. What caused her illness? What is she suffering from? Does she recover? The story is full of twists and turns.
This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.
