Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

At the early age of seven, a girl called Lily is matched with a laotong, or "old same," in a heartfelt match that will last a lifetime in a rural Hunan village in nineteenth-century China. Snow Flower, the laotong, greets Lily by bringing her a silk fan with a poem painted in nu shu, a special language used by Chinese women to communicate covertly and free from male influence.

As the years go on, Lily and Snow Flower come out of seclusion to share their aspirations, triumphs, and messages with their admirers via handkerchief tales and messages. In addition to discussing their planned marriages, common loneliness, and the pleasures and sorrows of parenthood, they bear the anguish of foot binding together. The two find comfort in one another, forging a relationship that lifts their spirits. But their close connection suddenly faces disintegration due to a misunderstanding.