Theresa devoted her life to raising her only daughter, Mary Lou, by herself. She watched her grow into a kind, intelligent young woman with a promising future, and she dreamed of seeing her build a happy life close to home. Everything changed when, at twenty-one, Mary Lou fell in love with Kang Jun, a man almost twenty years older. Although Theresa worried about the age difference and the fact that he lived in South Korea, her daughter was certain she had found the right person.

The couple married quietly, and only a month later Mary Lou boarded a plane to begin her new life overseas. At the airport, mother and daughter shared an emotional goodbye, unaware it would become their last meeting for many years. Twelve years passed without a single visit home. Money arrived every year with the same reassuring message: “Mom, take care of yourself. I’m doing well.” But those words never eased Theresa’s growing fears.