Daughters of the Sun and Moon

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds.

In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent, poised to fulfill her filial role by agreeing to an arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, is arriving on the shores of Gold Mountain – America – after being sold into servitude by her parents. And Moon, married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, is educated and beautiful, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.

Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a ruthless society, devoid of goodwill and increasingly hostile to all three women, despite their different backgrounds. Set during a period of rampant anti-Chinese sentiment in Los Angeles, Daughters of the Sun and Moon is a gripping tale of an exhilarating but tumultuous society in a fever pitch and three women who must navigate its unique challenges.

In the wake of the real-life Night of Horrors, a long-forgotten, bloody episode of American history, Dove, Petal and Moon are brought together by hardship and heartbreak, and they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to ‘eat bitterness’ to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.