A half-Chinese orphan whose mother sacrificed everything to give him a better chance is raffled off as a prize at Seattle's 1909 World's Fair, only to land in the ownership of the madam of a notorious brothel where he finds friendship and opportunities, in a story based on true events.

Half-Chinese Ernest Young, a charity student at a boarding school, is astounded to learn he will be raffled off--a healthy boy 'to a good home'--at Seattle's 1909 World's Fair. The winning ticket belongs to the madam of a high-class brothel, famous for educating her girls. Ernest becomes the new houseboy and befriends Maisie, the madam's daughter, and a bold scullery maid named Fahn. They form the first real family Ernest has ever known. Fifty years later, in the shadow of Seattle's second World's Fair, Ernest struggles to help his ailing wife reconcile who she once was with who she wanted to be, while trying to keep family secrets hidden from their grown-up daughters.