Two fiends grow up together in China amidst a culture that deems women inferior. They endure foot binding and arranged marriages, while maintaining their friendship through written code sacred to women. A touching book that any woman can appreciate regardless of culture.

Ling Kong leads a complicated life in Communist China. A military doctor, he spends years attempting to divorce his simple country wife in order to marry a nurse he has fallen in love with. The path his life takes is full of struggles, even when he finally gets what he always wanted.

This gorgeous narrative follows the evolution of Sayuri from a simple peasant girl to a beautiful geisha. She conquers rivals and difies odds to become the most coveted geisha in Kyoto. This is a remarkable love story set against the beautiful backdrop of early 20th century Japan.

Jahanara is the daughter of the emperor who commissioned the Taj Mahal to honor his dead wife. She grows up in the shadow if its construction and falls in love with its architect. At the same time, she watches her fathers empire fall apart and her family divide during a power struggle. A great evolution of both the monument and the woman.