In her third novel, Furnivall returns to the story of Lydia Ivanova from The Russian Concubine
, a Russian girl who fled the Bolsheviks and settled in Junchow, China, with her mother, who was then killed. Alone in a strange culture, Lydia learns that her father, whom she believed to be dead, is imprisoned in a labor camp. She flees China with her stepbrother, Alexei, to search for her father, leaving behind her lover, Chang An Lo, a Communist rebel. When Alexei later abandons Lydia, Lo comes to the rescue, but not before Lydia learns the terrible truth about the only family she has left. Furnivall deftly evokes the details of a bygone era, though these often take too much of a front seat and distract from Lydia's quest to find her father. Fans of Furnivall's earlier works will enjoy the chance to see what has become of Lydia. (June)
