A driven ballerina who defected from the Soviet Union because of antisemitism and lack of artistic and personal freedom, toes her way from being a principal dancer of the Boston Ballet to leading a diverse group of ballet students in their difficult journey to become professional dancers as they struggle with the challenges such as physical and emotional stress of intense ballet training. It is the story of her transition to the American ballet stage that led, after a 25-year career, to a new role as a teacher, and to new challenges as she struggles to adapt to the educational styles of American ballet.

A couple meet during the Carnival in Ivrea (a little town in northern Italy), feel drawn to each other and have a torrid affair destined not to last long.

Three women who share memories of the Hiroshima disaster try to uncover the hidden family ties that may or may not bind them together.

When the women of her time had their feet bound to please men, Qiu Jin was already questioning the sexual inequality of feudal traditions. Free-spirited and well-educated, she grew up practicing martial arts and was as well versed in poetry as she was in sword-fighting. When this rebellious girl moved to Beijing with her husband, she witnessed how her country was raided and ravaged by foreign powers. With the encouragement of her neighbor Wu Zhiying, the wife of righteous magistrate Li Zhongyue, Qiu Jin left her family behind to pursue study in Japan. There, she met some like-minded schoolmates who shared her ideals, including revolutionary leader Xu Xilin, and secretly joined his anti-Qing cause. After returning to China, Qiu Jin participated in the uprisings staged by Xu Xilin, leading a small group of hot-blooded students against the armed forces of the corrupt Qing government...