What is the main conflict in The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell?

Anna's father had lived as a Shanghai millionaire in the 1930s. They had led the appropriate life style with chauffeurs, polo games, and night clubs. Her mother had died in 1955 and her father dies in 1961 in Los Angeles. While Anna is sorting through his belongings, she finds a letter on a box addressed to her. He explains that he has no estate to leave her, just his journals of his life in Shanghai. He had never talked to her about it but he wants her to know what is in the journals. Anna spends several months reading through the materials, as well as other books on Shanghai. This is The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell.