Mai, a young woman from a small Thai village, marries when she is just eighteen and is quickly introduced to the pleasures of the flesh by her young husband. Over the course of the next seven years, she is very happy, working in the field with her husband and family and having two sons. But when the seven-year-itch strikes, Mai's husband divorces her, leaving her to raise their sons on her own. In order to support her family, she makes her way to glamorous city of Pattaya, looking for money and solace from her heartbreak. She finds both in the field of massage and begins to find her own way in the world, gradually gaining success in a competitive world. Although an assault perpetrated by a brute, changes Mai's perspective on life somewhat, she is still able to find hope and love once more-an unexpected oasis in the desert of her life. But how long can her happiness last? In this novel, a young Thai woman divorced by her husband becomes a masseuse and faces a variety of trials and struggles in her determination to be successful.