Ye Shaohua was accused of “collaborating with overseas enemies” after expressing his wish to travel overseas and unite with family members in a letter sent to a relative in the U.S. Ye was labeled a “counterrevolutionary” and sentenced to 15 years in the Laogai. In this book, Ye describes the cruel treatment he endured in Laogai camps in Hainan and Hubei provinces, treatment which became worse after his three failed attempts at escape.