The heroine - Gina, a Chinese-Canadian, a kind and gentle standard Canadian, and an open-minded Liberal who agrees with Quebecers' views on marriage. She believes that marriage is a barbaric, immoral, anti-human and old social custom that should be abandoned. It is a very cruel act to force two people to stay together for a lifetime. She believes that people should love each other freely, and that concepts such as "responsibility" or "loyalty" are ridiculous. Her moral values are inconsistent with those of the public, causing her to act in ways that would hurt others. However, she did not have the intention to harm others, but did not realize that her behavior was considered immoral in the eyes of others.
The male protagonist, Liu Lian, came to Vancouver to attend university in Vancouver after graduating from high school in China, and studied at Fraser International College (a preschool at Simon Fraser University). Originally he had no English name, so Gina named him Lian, thinking of the lotus, which symbolizes a gentleman, because he is upright and gentle, just like a gentleman in ancient China. However, he admired and envied Gina, who had a good family background and received Western education since she was a child.