 Ah-fei s mother, Hsin-chin, comes from a well off family headed by a doctor. Hsin-chin s marriage to a young engineer is not a happy one. Her circumstances change for the worse, and she can no longer count on her philandering husband to be the breadwinner. Her own family s fortunes have also declined with the death of her father. She is forced to pawn off her dowry to make ends meet. After paying off a bribe to some young men because her husband had had an affair with a married woman, Hsin-chin begins to asert herself as a matriarch. The family moves to Taipei where Ah-fei grows up and begins to show progress in her studies. Her father has changed into a meek and humble person, while her mother wields all the power. Ah-fei, being the daughter, is not favored by her mother, who looks more to her son. Thus Ah-fei must fight to convince her mother to let her go to a better school.