This is book three of The Good Earth Trilogy. It centers on Wang Yuan, the younger son of the warlord Wang the Tiger as he takes French Leave from War School. Throughout, Yuan experiences a love-hate relationshipthe "Yin-Yang" of lifewith all that he encounters. We follow him through a falling out with his father, school in the big city as the revolution begins, education in America, and finally a return to China. Thus he detests the northern "Warlord China," becomes tangentially involved in the revolutionary south which he flees after being denounced only to return to the ambivalence brought about by the revolution and its next generation of turmoil: presumably the "real" Communist movement. If you can find a copy, read part two (Sons) first to get the full impact of this work.