These seven stories, dramatic and thought-provoking, provide a compelling picture of Korean life in the 1940s-1990s. Family and community ties, respect for tradition, survival in the face of repeated national disasters and wrenching social upheaval - these are among the themes evoked in the collection. The narratives make palpable the lives and emotions of characters from differing backgrounds, all of whom must negotiate the same historical legacy and contradictory modern developments.