Becky Chan’s life gets off to a rocky start. She is born into a poor family, with a ne’er-do-well father. But by 1967, she is the reigning queen of the Hong Kong film industry, and her life is frequently confused by her public with the roles that she plays, including the Goddess of Mercy. In the city, Communist factions are setting bombs and kidnapping people. In mainland China, itself in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, rival factions of the Communist Party are terrorizing the nation. In...