Many Chicagoans who strolled down Michigan Avenue or hurried through O’Hare and Midway more than a decade ago may remember Yi Wei. She was a self-possessed little girl of 6, dark hair pulled back.

The second story is of Iwen, Si-Chi’s friend and neighbour, who is married to a man 20 years her senior, Chien Yi-Wei. Yi-Wei brutalises and beats his wife, who loves him unconditionally ...