Butterfly Tears is a collection of fifteen pieces of short fiction that depict the experiences of Chinese immigrant women facing the challenges of life in a new country. The stories are set in different parts of China, Canada, and to a lesser extent in the United States and examine Chinese women's cross-cultural experiences in North America as well as women's issues and political discrimination in China. The stories set in China give the reader interesting glimpses into events such as the Cultural Revolution and Mao's death. The immigrant experience, the predominant theme, encompasses a number of aspects ranging from issues such as language and food to education. Feminism and changing male/female relationships form another important theme that also runs through many of the stories.