This rich and beautiful novel is set in Saigon during the Vietnam War and is told from the point of view of American wives performing their duty as "helpmates" to their husbands--and their husbands' careers. Teeming with the cacophony of the streets. the chaos of the markets, the smells and heat of the city, the narrative focuses on Tricia, a young bride, who meets Charlene, a gorgeous mother of three, and quickly gets drawn into her orbit of charity work for local causes--some of which have not been carefully enough thought through.