Chinese Lolita is a series of linked stories (some fictionalized or exaggerated, some true) based on the extraordinary lives of Lisa Zhang Wharton, her mother, and her grandmother. It is an exploration of love, abuse, and self-discovery in both communist China and the United States.The book opens with a trial of Lisa's mother, who was arrested for having extra-marital affairs and reading western literature. From there, it delves into the turbulent and often difficult pasts of Lisa's mother (born in a brothel) and grandmother (sold to brothel), before centering on Lisa, a promising young student in Peking University. Lisa is bright, but inexperienced, when she immigrates to the United States as a graduate student in physics and biomedical engineering. With a penchant for interesting, eccentric people, she finds herself caught up in thrilling relationships and sultry affairs.Throughout the stories, we see the parallels between daughter, mother, and grandmother, and how personality traits and missteps can be passed down through the generations.