The narrative follows the parallel lives of two men separated by a century, whose experiences of displacement and cultural identity collide through the act of writing. Seamus O'Young, a Chinese-Australian man in the 1980s, attempts to reconstruct the life of Shan, a Chinese immigrant who arrived in Australia during the gold rush of the 1850s. As Seamus delves into the fragmented history of his predecessor, he confronts the systemic racism and personal alienation that define his own existence. The narrative structure shifts between these two timelines, utilizing a self-reflexive framework that questions the reliability of memory and the nature of historical truth.

This work is frequently noted for its complex, postmodern approach to the Australian immigrant experience. The narrative style is characterized by its dense, layered prose that challenges the reader to piece together disparate historical fragments. Critics often highlight the author's ability to weave personal identity with the broader, often overlooked, history of Chinese migration in Australia. The text serves as a meditation on the fluidity of history and the persistent nature of cultural alienation across generations.