 The novel's got an enormous cast of characters, but three of them are central to the plot. First, there's Nick Young, a New York academic, the scion of an old, wealthy, very wealthy Singaporean family. Then there's Nick's girlfriend, Rachel Chu, also an academic in New York. Rachel was born in China to a far less illustrious family than Nick's. Finally, there's Nick's super-glamorous, troubled cousin, Astrid Leong.