Joe Nichols of Chicago liked being the treasurer of Zeta Beta Tau at Monmouth College. He and other boomers will graduate and play by the corporate rules of many firms giving all of them a 100 + percent of their effort, but the 73-74’ recession/oil embargo results in meager compensation in spite of their successes. His marriage to Beth brings him to Hong Kong after he looses his job and she is promoted to a corporate position in the then Crown Colony on the very day she learns she’s also pregnant. Joe is willing to assimilate with his Chinese counter-parts until further economic trends impact the marriage. He and his wife agree to an amicable divorce as Joe becomes the custodial parent for their son at the boys choosing as they journey back home to Chicago.