Mi Jin tours the countryside with Paul and while in Seoul they witness students demonstrating against the government. They are in the thick of things when the president is assassinated, an insurrection takes place and martial law is enforced. Massive student protests gain momentum despite their losses. When the citizens of Modka join the students against the military, Paul no longer stays neutral. He is in trouble with the Peace Corp anyway and refuses to leave Korea when the Americans are evacuated.
Trouble is the seed of joy.
This ancient proverb explains the essence of a Korean's life. They can be busy as can be, but when something like falling snow happens, they stop and become poets. William Amos brings to light the political and cultural conditions in South Korea during one of their most dangerous times. He weaves a searing tale of love, death and hope in modern Korea. I remember the news of the riots, but Amos puts the reader right in the middle of the fighting.