As she navigates the Hmong world of animism, Christianity, and traditional gender roles, she begins to learn what she has not been taught. But even after the bride price has been paid, Mai Neng finds herself outside of Hmong culture and at odds with her mother, not realizing the full meaning of the customs she has rejected. Months later, the families carry out the tshoob without the wedding couple. The couple refuses to participate in the tshoob, the traditional Hmong marriage ceremony many members of their families, on both sides, stay away from their church wedding.
What happens next is devastating, and it raises questions about the very meaning of being Hmong in America. Mai Neng, who knows the pain this tradition has caused, says no. When Mai Neng Moua decides to get married, her mother, a widow, wants the groom to follow Hmong custom and pay a bride price, which both honors the work the bride's family has done in raising a daughter and offers a promise of love and security from the groom's family.
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