In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah tells the story of her painful childhood in China as an unwanted daughter of cruel and abusive parents. Being one of her closest friends at school, Chun-mei invites Adeline over to celebrate her birthday.

Adeline's relationship with her father stems from a desire for approval, based on his happiness when she earns distinction in her classes. Niang's personality is fairly static throughout the novel, permanently the antagonist to Adeline's story. Two years later, Niang arranges for Big Sister to be married to a doctor who is twice her age, the thought of which frightens Adeline. The embarrassment that the three eldest brothers suffer at the hands of their classmates is very public, as is their exposure to the various guests at the wedding. However, when her classmates choose to bring the celebration to her house, her parents lash out and threaten to move her to a far away school.The main dissenter to Niang's power is Adeline, who stands up against the injustices she perceives, unlike her other siblings. As described in Chinese Cinderella, Yen Mah’s stepmother despised her stepchildren and was vicious in her mistreatment of them, creating an abusive and fearful home environment. In 1945, after Japan was defeated, a civil war broke out between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and Mao Zedong and the Communists. The betrayal of Aunt Baba by Big Sister should not come off as a surprise to anyone reading the book, since the characters have been noticeably static. While on a visit with Father and Niang to Tiajin, Niang arranges Big Sister's marriage to Samuel, a thirty-one year old stranger.

However, when she gets home, she is shocked to find out that she is being sent to a boarding school in Tianjin immediately.What was originally a house run by Father under the supervision of Nai Nai and Ye Ye has become the empire of Niang, with Ye Ye only preserved as a mouthpiece. The life of the family entirely revolves around the parents’ demands, desires, and preferences, creating a toxic family dynamic in which everyone is bent towards serving the whims of one or two people.