Adeline Yen Mah's years of mental and physical abuse began when her mother died shortly after giving birth to her, leaving Adeline to suffer under a cold and manipulative stepmother, Niang, whose sadistic acts were never questioned by her husband.

Adeline's only refuge was her beloved Aunt Baba, the older sister of Adeline's father, who was also despised because she was a spinster and financially dependent on her brother. Eventually Adeline traveled to London to study medicine, then made a new life for herself in the United States.

But her horrific childhood continued to haunt her. Her father, who was a multi-millionaire, died in 1988, but Niang prevented his children from reading his will by telling them that he had died penniless. Niang herself passed away two years later, and the drama surrounding her death played itself out like a scene from Adeline's childhood re-enacted 40 years later.

It was only through writing her memoir that Adeline could accept her roots and exorcise the demons from her past. Written with a powerful voice that illuminates the complexities of Chinese society and family relationships throughout all cultures, Falling Leaves is a work of startling, heartfelt intimacy.