故事发生在1908年秦淮河畔夫子庙前的钞库街。斯街系明代国家金库———宝钞库所在地，街以库名。街巷北头有一座气势非凡的宅第，名曰寄园。主人谢子玄，是东晋名门望族谢安的后裔，职任银行襄理，兼营一家古董店。其父谢庭?乃翰林院编修，供职北京。子玄胞弟子豪随父就读于京师，胞兄子虔则在日本早稻田大学官派留学，专修法律。子玄太太尹宛如，是本市丝绸大王尹心瀚的千金。住在寄园的，还有谢老夫人窦氏、子虔元配夫人任梅韵、丫环菊香、女佣吴妈等。（The story takes place in Chaoku Street in front of Confucius Temple near the Qinhuai River in 1908. The street was where the national treasury of the Ming Dynasty was located, thus named by the treasury. There was a majestic mansion called Ji Garden at the north of the street. The master Xie Zixuan, a descendant of the distinguished family of Xie An in the East Jin Dynasty, served sub-manager of a bank and meanwhile ran an antique store. His father Xie Ting was an editor of the Imperial Academy in Beijing. Zixuan’s younger brother Zihao studied in the capital and Zixuan’s elder brother Ziqian studied in Waseda University of Japan dispatched by the government, majoring in law. Zixuan’s wife Yin Wanru was the daughter of Yin Xinhan, the king of silk in the city. There was also Xie the old lady (Mrs Dou), Ren Meiyun (first wife of Ziqian), Juxiang the maid, Wu Ma the maidservant living in Ji Garden. ）...