The Carrington family, collectors of antiques, journey to Peking during the Boxer Rebellion. There they endure the siege of the legation district and the hatred of the "foreign devils" in an explosion of Chinese nationalism. The Carringtons are seen as chief desecrators of the Chinese heritage.--What do I read next (website). The third-generation heiress, decades later, "writes and re-writes her will, disposing of the fabulous Carrington collection of stolen Chinese art. And with each new draft of the will the reader comes closer to the heart of the Carrington mystery, as intricate and subtle as a Chinese puzzle."--from jacket.