It tells the compelling stories of four women (played by Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen and Lisa Lu) who were born in China before the revolution and came to America to escape China's feudal society for the promise of America. It also tells the stories of their four American-born daughters (played by Ming-na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom and Rosaling Chao), their generational differences and cross-cultural confusion, and the pain caused by misunderstanding and lack of direct communication. Although the main characters are Chinese or Chinese-American and Chinese culture is central to the film, it depicts universal qualities of despair, perceived expectations, love and hope that speak to all audiences. The supporting cast is huge. Rated R for "strong depiction of thematic material."