East of Suez: A Play in Seven Scenes

This play by prolific British author W. Somerset Maugham delves deeper into several subjects that preoccupied Maugham throughout his literary career: the way that our external environment can shape our personalities and choices, and the usually negative consequences that arise from the intermingling of two divergent cultural traditions. In the play, an unlikely love affair blossoms and then sours against the backdrop of early twentieth century Peking.