When June`s mother dies, she is invited to join a long-standing club of Chinese women who urge her not only to take her mother`s place at the mah-jongg table, but also to carry the news of her mother`s death to her step-sisters in China. Through the stories of the women and their daughters, the values of different generations are articulated. June`s anxiety about her responsibility to the past is contrasted with the older women`s concerns that their values and culture are being lost by their Americanized daughters. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.