A memoir set in post-Mao China, it describes the author's experiences and adventures as a young Anabaptist English teacher in meeting a culture both entirely different, yet surprisingly similar to the Amish Mennonite culture of her childhood and youth. "The Great Wall" symbolizes the situations that presented obstacles and challenges throughout the (non-consecutive) five years that she lived in China, while "Doors" represents the ways she was offered help, insight, and grace to negotiate difficulties.