Quiet Odyssey is the story of Mary Paik Lee's life of struggles and conquering the many daily struggles of her life. The book starts out introducing her family background and where she came from. Mary came from an educated family. Her family was highly respected and educated in many ways. When Mary was five, her family had to pick up and move suddenly due to the many Japanese soldiers needing places to live. From there, Mary and her family moved to Hawaii where her father worked on the sugarcane plantation for a year and a half. While working on the sugarcane plantations, Mary and her family go through many up's and downs.When they first arrived, Mary noticed that many people looked at them as if they were aliens. Mary asked her father why they treated them like that. Her father said that t hey deserved it because when the first American missionaries came to Korea, the Koreans treated them the same way. The Americans just had to keep their heads up and act like they were just as good if not better than them. So her father told her to keep her head up and be the bigger person. After not finding sufficient stability in Hawaii, Mary and her family move to Riverside, California near some friends that left Korea due to the soldiers as well. While in Riverside, Mary's father worked on the citrus groves and preached at the local Korean American church when needed. Mary's mother began to cook breakfast, pack lunches and cook dinner for all the workers who worked at the grove in order to make some extra money. In order to have all the supplies to feed the workers, her father went to the Chinese settlement and asked for the supplies in exchange for regular payments. They agreed to supply their family with the supplies they needed to keep feeding and cooking for the men. Eventually the working men found large pieces of wood to build aa dining area for everyone to eat in. After some time in Riverside Mary and her older brother Paik Mueng Sun began to bring teachers laundry home to clean and earn some extra money for the family. After five years in Riverside, Mary's family moved to Calremont, the small college town. Mary and her family experienced the American way of living in Claremont. They lived in a nice house with electricity and normal housing tools. They no longer had to go to an out house, go to the well to get water, or even heat up the "sad iron" on the stove any more. It was a step up. Unfortunately, Mary's father didn't make enough to maintain stability, so they were forced to move again to Colusa. It was there in Colusa that Mary got her first real job working for her rich white principal and his wife. She found that the work was really difficult for her at her young age. They eventually found out that her teacher was smuggling funds from the school and that is why they had a large house that was larger than a teachers salary. She then quit her job and her father went to Dinuba to work. When he returned from Dinuba he was said to look so sickly and worn out. He didn't make much but he did make enough to move his family out of Colusa.
After Colusa her family moves to Roberts Island where her family worked on a potato plantation near the Sacramento Delta. They took a motorboat ride on the delta. At this time there were five children in the family. Mary and her older brother were the only children able to work a lot but they were able to care for the family and all the children. Because of being in California, their family decided to begin giving their children American names. Mary's father taught the children how to fish and cook the fish. Her father eventually made a fish trap where they could catch large amounts of fish for food regularly. Then on February 16th, 1913 Ralph was born to the family. During this time a depression hit causing market prices to drop and profits to fall. So Mary and her family moved again to Idria, San Benito County. Every time they traveled they brought only the few clothes that they had and some blankets. Her family moved to the silver mines of Idria, California. The silver mines in Idria were one of the few mines in existence. It was also one of the largest mines. After many other moves to find work, Mary was finally 19 years old. When she was nineteen a young man name Hung Man Lee asked Mary out to see a movie. While in the movie, they were asked to leave by a rude white man because they were Asian. That night was the start of a long friendship. On January 1st, 1919, Mary and Hung were married in the Presbyterian Church. The two moved into their own house. It was a small house with not bathroom and no hot water, but it was still a house and it had electricity. It was more than she had ever had. Mary faced some troubles when she learned that she could not conceive. After a few more tries and some help from a doctor, her miracle child was born, Henry Lee. Hung had a terrible skin condition from the work he did. The skin condition caused many rashes and painful itching that lasted for long amounts of time. When the itching became so bad at times, Mary and Hung traveled to the sulfur pools to relax. After time in three different pools the rash had completely healed. But after a day or so the rash returned. Mary and Hung began to take regular trips to the sulfur pools, but the rash continued after the temporary relief. Mary and Hung owned a fruit business selling fresh produce. Their business did well and Mary continued to send money back to her family. When Mary and Hung moved to Anaheim. In Anaheim, the population consisted of mostly German Americans. They didn't think much of the Asian Americans. Most of the places there had "For Whites Only" signs. Mary and her husband experienced much discrimination in Anaheim. Mary's second son, Allan Paik Lee was born in Anaheim on January 16th, 1929. After her son was born they moved two more times and her last son Anthony Paik Lee was born in Whittier, California on June 18th, 1940. Mary and Hung's business lasted for about eleven years. Mary had to to soon return back home to help her family and to allow Hung to rest due to his painful skin condition. It was during that time that World War 2 broke out. When the Pearl Harbor tragedy struck, many Japanese American residents were forced to leave their homes. Mary and her family's neighbors asked them to tend to their farm while they were gone. On the day of the Pearl Harbor tragedy, while Mary was in the store, three teen-aged boys beat up her middle child and started to take a punch at her one-year old son. Everyone on that day assumed that all Asians were Japanese an the cause of Pearl Harbor. They didn't bother thinking before resorting to violence to Asian Americans. The Pearl Harbor tragedy took a toll on everyone living in American during that time, but they survived. Mary anf her family moved to Stanford where they, in their old age, bought their last card, a Ford Thuderbird. Her husband, Hung, suffered with an aneurysm of the aorta. He slipped in and out of consciousness. On June 19, 1975 at eighty-three years of age, Hung passed away in a hospital bed with a big smile on his face. Mary soon after traveled to Manila with Henry and his family, and Allan and his family. Mary got to spend many good times with her families in Manila. She decided to head back home just after Christmas due to the fact that she had began to feel very ill. Soon after landing back in San Francisco, Mary became violently ill and had to stay in the hospital for two weeks. On September 11, 1976, Allan, her middle child came to her door in San Francisco. Allan told her that her oldest son Henry was traveling with his co workers from the bank and Embassy he worked at. While traveling, his plane crashed into a mountainside during a storm. Henry and eleven other men died in that crash. Mary suffered many loses in her old age including her husband, son, brothers, and mother. Later Mary and her family moved to LA to help Asian Americans learn English and break the language barrier for many Asian Americans. After ten years of interpreting English to Korean she had to finally quit due to old age. Mary quit at the age of eighty-five years old. At the end of the book Mary writes that "... I am free of cares and worry and am just trying to relax and enjoy what little time is left. I attend church regularly where most of the members are black, because it is there I feel most comfortable."
After Colusa her family moves to Roberts Island where her family worked on a potato plantation near the Sacramento Delta. They took a motorboat ride on the delta. At this time there were five children in the family. Mary and her older brother were the only children able to work a lot but they were able to care for the family and all the children. Because of being in California, their family decided to begin giving their children American names. Mary's father taught the children how to fish and cook the fish. Her father eventually made a fish trap where they could catch large amounts of fish for food regularly. Then on February 16th, 1913 Ralph was born to the family. During this time a depression hit causing market prices to drop and profits to fall. So Mary and her family moved again to Idria, San Benito County. Every time they traveled they brought only the few clothes that they had and some blankets. Her family moved to the silver mines of Idria, California. The silver mines in Idria were one of the few mines in existence. It was also one of the largest mines. After many other moves to find work, Mary was finally 19 years old. When she was nineteen a young man name Hung Man Lee asked Mary out to see a movie. While in the movie, they were asked to leave by a rude white man because they were Asian. That night was the start of a long friendship. On January 1st, 1919, Mary and Hung were married in the Presbyterian Church. The two moved into their own house. It was a small house with not bathroom and no hot water, but it was still a house and it had electricity. It was more than she had ever had. Mary faced some troubles when she learned that she could not conceive. After a few more tries and some help from a doctor, her miracle child was born, Henry Lee. Hung had a terrible skin condition from the work he did. The skin condition caused many rashes and painful itching that lasted for long amounts of time. When the itching became so bad at times, Mary and Hung traveled to the sulfur pools to relax. After time in three different pools the rash had completely healed. But after a day or so the rash returned. Mary and Hung began to take regular trips to the sulfur pools, but the rash continued after the temporary relief. Mary and Hung owned a fruit business selling fresh produce. Their business did well and Mary continued to send money back to her family. When Mary and Hung moved to Anaheim. In Anaheim, the population consisted of mostly German Americans. They didn't think much of the Asian Americans. Most of the places there had "For Whites Only" signs. Mary and her husband experienced much discrimination in Anaheim. Mary's second son, Allan Paik Lee was born in Anaheim on January 16th, 1929. After her son was born they moved two more times and her last son Anthony Paik Lee was born in Whittier, California on June 18th, 1940. Mary and Hung's business lasted for about eleven years. Mary had to to soon return back home to help her family and to allow Hung to rest due to his painful skin condition. It was during that time that World War 2 broke out. When the Pearl Harbor tragedy struck, many Japanese American residents were forced to leave their homes. Mary and her family's neighbors asked them to tend to their farm while they were gone. On the day of the Pearl Harbor tragedy, while Mary was in the store, three teen-aged boys beat up her middle child and started to take a punch at her one-year old son. Everyone on that day assumed that all Asians were Japanese an the cause of Pearl Harbor. They didn't bother thinking before resorting to violence to Asian Americans. The Pearl Harbor tragedy took a toll on everyone living in American during that time, but they survived. Mary anf her family moved to Stanford where they, in their old age, bought their last card, a Ford Thuderbird. Her husband, Hung, suffered with an aneurysm of the aorta. He slipped in and out of consciousness. On June 19, 1975 at eighty-three years of age, Hung passed away in a hospital bed with a big smile on his face. Mary soon after traveled to Manila with Henry and his family, and Allan and his family. Mary got to spend many good times with her families in Manila. She decided to head back home just after Christmas due to the fact that she had began to feel very ill. Soon after landing back in San Francisco, Mary became violently ill and had to stay in the hospital for two weeks. On September 11, 1976, Allan, her middle child came to her door in San Francisco. Allan told her that her oldest son Henry was traveling with his co workers from the bank and Embassy he worked at. While traveling, his plane crashed into a mountainside during a storm. Henry and eleven other men died in that crash. Mary suffered many loses in her old age including her husband, son, brothers, and mother. Later Mary and her family moved to LA to help Asian Americans learn English and break the language barrier for many Asian Americans. After ten years of interpreting English to Korean she had to finally quit due to old age. Mary quit at the age of eighty-five years old. At the end of the book Mary writes that "... I am free of cares and worry and am just trying to relax and enjoy what little time is left. I attend church regularly where most of the members are black, because it is there I feel most comfortable."