In 1912, Siao-yu and Mao Tse-tung were students in the same school in the city of Changsha in Hunan, a province famed for its bandits and heroes. Having discovered a deep mutual concern for the fate of China, the two students met frequently for lengthy discussions on many subjects: teachings of the classics, ways of self-cultivation, reform of China, politics and government, and the latest news.

A featured episode in the narrative is the begging trip through central China made by the two close friends during the summer of 1917. Mao frequently referred to this experience in interviews with journalists.

The author’s own drawings throughout the text and in a special section after the narrative supplement these personal recollections of the formative years of Mao Tse-tung.