Nineteen year old Min has a desire to immigrate to the United States from Beijing and is introduced to "The Professor," a strange sort of father figure who assesses whether Min is fit enough to marry one of his sons, who can get her to America. Throughout the first meeting, The Professor behaves rather untowardly with Min and at the end of the meeting, instructs her to call him to schedule another meeting for the following week. Min convinces herself that he was just being fatherly towards her in the first meeting but chooses not to call him again or respond to third-party requests that she contact him.

The Professor ultimately confronts her and she tells him that she no longer needs his sons or his help in getting her to America; she has decided to move forward with a different marriage proposition. The Professor displays an anger and resentment, not like that of a father, but that of a lover, scaring Min into becoming a mail-order bride and marrying Rich, a man who had also grown up poor in China and went to America to seek a better life. For Min, loving her partner was something that was never on the table. Her relationship with Rich was purely a transactional one and a chance for her to prove to herself and others that she could be the perfect daughter, wife, and daughter-in-law.

Several years later, Min and Rich live as citizens in the United States with their two young daughters and a son who has moved out of the house. Rich is a proud Donald Trump supporter and while Min herself voted for Hillary Clinton, he instructs her not to tell anyone that she voted for her or even that she had voted at all. On election night, no words are exchanged as Rich delivers many inflammatory statements. Min was not raised to resist. Rich married her "because she was not the kind of woman who would use strong words." Although Min never voices her opinions, she does have her own quiet thoughts of rebellion.

When their now-adult son was an adolescent, her marriage with Rich was on the brink of collapse. Rich told her that divorce would be a disaster for everyone and threatened to take all of the money and gain custody of their son. In this threat though, the possibility of a new life without having to be a wife or mother left her feeling momentarily relieved. She did not go through with the divorce and instead went on to have more children with Rich, but she has displayed a form of quiet resistance in letting herself think about her life in a different way than she has ever been allowed to think about it before.

On a night after the election, Rich is telling his third-grade twin daughters how dangerous it would have been had Clinton been elected. The twins already had their opinions on politics and had supported Clinton, something they kept from their father. Min thinks about nudging a bottle of Rich's wine off of the table, imagining the fight that would ensue. She doesn't do it but her imagining a scenario that isn't going to happen is a way for her to cope with her anger.

All this time, Min receives emails from The Professor around the time of major Chinese holidays. She has only met him twice in her life but he writes to her as if he is catching up with an old friend. He talks casually about his family and life and even sends pictures of himself and his grandchildren. These emails, however, are not an innocent way to reconnect with Min; they are predatory and controlling. The Professor calculates her age and asks her to send pictures of herself. Min initially ignores this man's emails, making excuses for him that perhaps he is lonely and needs someone to speak to. She even imagines him dying soon so that he may stop contacting her. However, remaining silent is something she cannot do anymore and she realizes that "a silence stoically maintained did not give her any dignity." With this realization, she sends a clear message to the man to go to hell.