Yu Ling works as a nanny for a wealthy family in Beijing and yearns for a more independent life with her boyfriend. She forms a deep emotional bond with seven-year-old Kuan Kuan, who depends on her for comfort and security. Political arrests remove Kuan Kuan's grandfather and father, and Qin Wen, his mother, disappears, leaving Yu Ling temporarily head of the household. A disclosed criminal record and limited employment options force Yu Ling to remain in the home despite wanting to leave. The bond with Kuan Kuan is entwined with employment, coercion, class vulnerability, and emotional dependence.
Yet like so many other nannies across the world, Yu Ling can't help but love her charge, 7-year-old Kuan Kuan. In turn, Kuan Kuan is devoted to her in a way he is not to either of his parents: "He liked holding on to [Yu Ling's] ear as he dozed off, and when he couldn't sleep, he'd kneed her earlobes with his plump little fingers." She is his security blanket.
Though Yu Ling was at first eager to work for Qin Wen, an artist, in her studio, and then happily took on the role of nanny for Kuan Kuan, their relationships are altered when Qin Wen learns that Yu Ling has a criminal record back home. When Yu Ling tries to resign, Qin Wen replies that she'll have to keep working for them no matter what: No one else will hire her given her background.
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