Tian Shan is an outlaw, "recorded by the American press as 'a wily oriental, who ‘by ways that are dark and tricks that are vain,’ is eluding the vigilance of our brave customs officers” (128).

Having lost her mother at a young age, Fin Fan, the daughter of a Canadian Chinese shopkeeper, is Tian Shan’s “kindred spirit” (128). Being extremely independent, she does not succumb to the pressures to convert to Christianity, like her father has. This makes her seem like something of an outlaw among members of the Canadian Chinese community, “for all proper Chinese females in Canada and America, unless their husbands are men of influence in their own country, conform upon request to the religion of the women of the white race” (128).

Tian Shan invites Fin Fan on a walk around the mountain, where she asks him to recount his latest adventure. Tian Shan tells her of the perilous journey he had taken through the rapids of the St. Lawrence River, trying to avoid detection. Tian Shan asks him why he risks his life to return to Canada, when he could just stay in America where he is able to make a better living.