As the scene opens, we are introduced to a young woman named Yoseph, who has just returned from a trip to China with her father. We are told that her father is in poor health, and that he has fallen asleep while talking to her. He is accompanied by his son, Ching-Chee, who is trying to get his daughter's sympathy. The young woman, however, is determined to protect her daughter from the danger of being taken away from her