Plot Rating: 9/10

Artist Rating: 9/10

The story begins with Lee Ci Kei and her husband and son (Francis Ng) in China. Although they have a relatively good life in China, they decide to go to Hong Kong. In order to earn more money for their trip, Lee Ci Kei carries illegal drugs onto the train and gets caught. Therefore, she and her husband are separated. Lee Ci Kei was with her son when she was caught, but her husband was on the train and to prevent the police from suspecting him, she pretends she doesn't know him. Later, she is sent to jail.

Consequently, Ci Kei's husband goes to China but sends back for news of his wife and son because he is very concerned about them. However, he doesn't get any news and Ci Kei's brother lies to him about her condition (I think he said that she died). In Hong Kong, her husband finds work in a restaurant and soon marries his employer's daughter. They treat him very well, and when his father-in-law dies, he takes over the restaurants and makes them even better. From this marriage, he has another son (Frankie Lam Man Lung). Lee Ci Kei gets out of jail and goes to Hong Kong in search of her husband. She sees him in the hospital when Frankie was born and is very angry that he was unfaithful and remarried another woman (she doesn't realize that the real culprit is her brother). Therefore, Ci Kei returns to China with her son even though her husband chases after her. She doesn't forgive him though. Through the next 20 or so years, her husband gives money to her brother, thinking that the money is for his wife but her brother kept the money himself.

Frankie grows up to be a very outgoing and energetic person. He excels in his studies at the universities and often does things out of the ordinary (i.e. He skips class and cooks at the school cafeteria). His best friend is Gigi's older brother. At first, Gigi and Frankie get off to a bad start and are rivals of a sort. However, later on, they fall in love and start to date.

Maggie grew up with her father in Taiwan. He was always incurring gambling debts and Maggie had to pay them off. She attended college for a time in Taiwan, but was forced to use up her savings to pay her father's debts. In the end, she was forced into a "fake" marriage with her friend's brother (a playboy type that caused trouble in Hong Kong with a mafia leader's wife, so he had to get married). He offered to pay her father's debts as payment for the fake marriage. Therefore, Maggie returns to Hong Kong with him. (Maggie's family is quite complicated also…She is Gigi's half-sister. Along time ago, her mom married Gigi's dad because Maggie's dad was an irresponsible man and he tried to rape a girl. However, Maggie's dad managed to grab Maggie and leave for Taiwan. Therefore, Maggie was in a sense "kidnapped" but in a sense not because she wanted to be with her dad)

In Hong Kong, Maggie sees Frankie on the streets when she's drawing portraits of people (she's an artist/designer). They, too get off to a bad start. However, Maggie later sees that Frankie is a good guy and they become friends.

Francis meets Frankie in Hong Kong during his waiter training session (for his hotel job). They become good friends and he also meets Frankie's dad (his dad!). Later, Frankie's dad goes up to China on business and runs into Francis again and he invites him to his house for dinner. Well, this is where Lee Ci Kei sees her husband again and she tells her son that the man is her dad. At first, Francis was very angry at his dad, but soon he forgave him.

Later on, Francis moves to Hong Kong to live with his dad. He got along very well with his brother, Frankie, and his "second mom". They all treated him very well, and Francis helped out with the restaurant business.

Maggie soon ends up divorcing her "fake husband" after he tried to rape her. Frankie's auntie (his mom's younger adopted sister) helped Maggie and soon hired her as her secretary. Maggie proved to be capable in her position. Family troubles arose when she ran into her mother. Maggie still hasn't forgiven her mother for remarrying and treats her mom very poorly. Gigi finds out that she has another half-sister and doesn't take it very well. The two sisters become enemies of sorts because of the way Maggie treats her mom. They soon work out their problems and Maggie accepts Gigi.

The turning point in the series is when Frankie, Francis, and Gigi go up to China for vacation. Francis runs a man over but Frankie gets accused of the crime. He is sent to prison even though his auntie tried to help him. Francis does not turn himself in for his own crime. During Frankie's jail term, Francis takes over everything that belongs to Frankie. He evens wins the love of Gigi.

When Frankie gets out of jail, he has lost everything, but he still has his good friend Maggie. He takes up a job in a company that his auntie is a part of (Francis is also working with them because his dad's restaurants are doing business with them) but is later kicked out because of Frankie. Later, Frankie finds out that his brother made him go to jail, and from then on, they were sworn enemies.

Gigi ends up marrying Francis, despite Frankie and Maggie's warnings. Frankie starts his own company with the help of Maggie and Frankie then realizes that he's fallen in love with Maggie. They end up going out.

Francis' career and business soon makes a downfall when his boss seeks revenge on him for his wrongdoings. He loses all of his money in the stock and during his bad temper, he accidentally kills Gigi and accuses Frankie for the crime. This time his mom intervenes. Lee Ci Kei has finally realized that her son must be held responsible for all that he's done. Francis is sent to jail but he escapes and holds his son hostage (Francis gave up his "China girlfriend", Lily Chung Suk Wai earlier on in order to be with Gigi even though she was pregnant). During the chaos, he falls down the stairs and hits his head. He was paralyzed for a time but he recovered in the hospital under his mom's care.

Because of Gigi's death, a rift grows between Frankie and Maggie. Somehow, they both felt responsible for her death. They accidentally meet in China--Frankie was on a business trip and Maggie was on vacation. Maggie revealed that she was going on a tour of the world to learn more about other cultures. Frankie realized that he wanted to be with her. Therefore, on the day her train was leaving, he caught her just in time and the two took off together for their world tour.

The series ends a few years later and shows Francis and his mom being garbage collectors in China. Francis has turned into a good person again…

8/31/98

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