The book begins with the author giving a vivid picture of the last, decadent days of the Ching court. He reveals how, after the overthrow of the dynasty, he and other feudal forces plotted with foreign powers to restore the monarchy, and how he became the Japanese imperialists' puppet. He then goes on to describe his life as Emperor of Manchukuo" and tells how he came into the hands of the Chinese people's government. He gives a lively account of his remoulding through labour and study in prisons for war criminals relating how his thinking changed the final chapter tells about his new life after his pardon as an ordinary citizen of People's China.