Between 1975 and 1995, about 500,000 Chinese emigrated from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to the United States. These included more than 100,000 mainland Chinese students, scholars and their families who were allowed to stay permanently in the United States in 1993. At that time, few literary works reflected the experiences of these new immigrants from mainland China and their new life in the United States. This novel involves a plumbing installation project at a mega-mansion. In this project, three participants from mainland China, each from different backgrounds, experience a series of irreconcilable contradictions and conflicts.