It is early in 1946. The nation of China, having endured WWII which began for them with the invasion by Japan in 1937, China is ready, at long last, for peace and rebuilding. Such is not to be however. A Communist insurgency is challenging the Nationalist (Kuomintang) government of Chiang Kai-shek. Those supporting and challenging the Nationalist rule present a complex picture of China's achieving modern nationhood.