Possums

Rivalry, treachery and conspiracy abound when concubine number four joins the palatial household of a wealthy Chinese aristocrat, where his other three wives are already ensconced. Wife number one is the aging matriarch, and mother to the first male heir, an esteemed and powerful position of seniority. Wife number two, Zhouyun, is the mother to a less desirable girl child is well aware of the importance of baring a son and is therefore suppliant and servile in her demeanour. Wife number three, a famous former opera singer named Mieshan, is not only mother to the second male heir, but is still quite young and beautiful. It's rare when things don't go her way and is highly spoilt.

Songlian is a fresh-faced university student who, through the misfortune of her father's untimely death, has been left without an inheritance, and has resigned herself instead to live the life of a concubine. Her position as number four in the household pecking order is fraught with subtle irony, as her youth and beauty make her the woman of choice for the master's sexual pleasure, but her low-ranking position in the wifely hierarchy gives the others a distinct advantage over her otherwise.

Yet, for all their compromises and sacrifices, the master's four wives live in the lap of luxury. Each has her own richly appointed quarters within the palace walls, a wardrobe of the finest silk robes, a servant girl to attend to her every whim, the very best medical care money can buy, and lavish meals served up daily in a communal dining room.

Nevertheless, there are rules, and the rules are simple: Each afternoon, Chen Baishun, the master's valet, announces which wife the master has chosen to spend the night with, and orders the lighting of the red silk lanterns outside her quarters in honor of the occasion. As a reward, the chosen one gets a soothing foot massage, the pleasure of the master's company for the evening, and the right to dictate