'A first novel of rare quality – beautiful, grave, humorous, exciting, and wise.' -- Observer

Laura Leroy, wife of a British attaché, leads a divided existence, torn between her beloved home in England and diplomatic society in Peking – an ancient city of exquisite allure, bordered by the violent conflicts of the civil war.

When Laura joins a group of expats on an expedition to the great monastery at Chieh T'ai Ssu, they become intoxicated by the mysterious beauty of the Chinese landscape in spring (and by each other). Laura is drawn to Vinstead, a man who reminds her of the green fields and spires she has left behind in Oxford. But far from the comforting whirl of cocktails and picnic parties, they soon encounter a shocking clash that threatens the security of their newfound bond.

Set in the vanished era of 1930s Peking, this enthralling novel evokes the uneasy balance between two worlds, between east and west, and between old China and the approach of the new.

'And unusual and beautiful first novel, which leaves one thinking long after one has put it down.' -- Spectator

'Ann Bridge's special blend of landscape and romance, in perhaps the best loved of her many books, makes us feel that we have been there too and have shared its dramas and enchantments.' -- Linda Kelly

'Almost unmixed delight . . . It is pictorial and exciting and illuminating.' -- L. P. Hartley