The Promise follows Buck's The Dragon Seed about the Japanese invasion of China in WWII. The Promise is about the WWII battle in Burma. It follow Mayli's and Sheng's tale of two people whose life is affected during the course of the war. Great descriptions of the Burmese jungles, the Burmese people, and the Japanese cruelties. The promise is the English and Americans word to come to the aid of China that never materialized and it shows the disdain the British and Americans had for Asian peoples.