This novel follows the stories of Chinese students as they arrive in the United States in the early 1980s and struggle with the challenges of transitioning to their new lives. Having grown up in China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution, these young intellectuals immediately face a completely different world. They quickly learn that living in America brings advantages to their careers, yet carries its own difficulties and burdens.

Raymond Liu is a graduate student when the red tornado of the Cultural Revolution sweeps across China. Sent from his studies to plant rice in a small village, he soon meets Wendy Zhou. Wendy was a Zhiqing and had been separated from her parents as an infant; when her guardians passed away, they left her a diamond ring, which carries a family history. After suffering a tragic event together, Raymond and Wendy marry. In 1981, Raymond leaves for the U.S. to continue his studies, becoming a professor and an expert in virology. Wendy soon follows him, where she is able to reunite with her long-lost mother and siblings. Her cousin Tingting Cheng also moves to the U.S., in search of her first love, Raymond Liu...

Experience these immigrants’ emotional conflicts, family struggles, joys, and heartbreaks as they face the realities of pursuing the American Dream. You will learn their motivations for leaving China, how they adapt to life in the U.S., and how their views of American life evolve…

上世纪70年代末期，世界上两个截然不同的大国—中国和美国，结束了几十年的对抗，建立了外交关系。竹幕打开，一些中国知识分子相继赴美留学。面对一个完全不同的社会，他们如何适应物质和精神上的巨大变化？这部长篇小说以几个80年代初期留美的华人为主线，在地域宽阔、事件繁多的历史背景下，描写了他们的生活经历、家庭变革、创业过程和感情纠纷，揭示了这一代科技移民的心路。

刘明睿本该大学毕业的时候遇到文革的红色风暴，被发配到农村种水稻，在那里认识了知青周毓雯，并结成患难夫妻。毓雯在襁褓中就和父母分离，抚养她的亲人也相继离世，只留给她一个钻石戒指，记载着家族的变迁。刘明睿1981年赴美，很快成为生物学专家。毓雯陪读来到美国，和母亲及兄弟团聚。随后，和她一起长大的表姐程婷婷也被命运卷到美国，与初恋情人刘明睿重逢……