1815, the eve of the Battle of Waterloo: at the Duchess of Richmond's ball, one family's life will change forever; for Sophie Trenchard, this night will change everything. Twenty-five years later, as the upper echelons of society begin to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, the true repercussions of that moment will be felt. Some would prefer the secrets of the past to remain buried.

Set in different cities around the world, Elaine Chiew's award-winning stories travel into the heart of the Singaporean and Malaysian Chinese diasporas to explore the lives of those torn between cultures and juggling divided selves.
In the title story, four writers find their cultural bonds of friendship tested when a handsome young Asian writer joins their group. In other stories, a brother searches for his sister forced to serve

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