At the prospect of fleeing a shipload of lusty and lonely American soldiers, a Taiwanese village loses all perspective - and common sense. The local high-school English teacher convinces the owners of the four major brothels in town to enlist his services in teaching the prostitutes some useful English phrases. But his plans soon spiral out of control. The irreverent novel by one of Taiwan's best-known writers is both a masterpiece of fiction and a vivid reflection on Taiwanese identity under the impact of Western culture.