Character Relationship Map: The Farewell

Characters

• Billi (played by Awkwafina) — protagonist

  Billi is an aspiring Chinese-American writer and the story's central figure. After losing a Guggenheim Fellowship, she learns that Nai Nai has terminal lung cancer and secretly flies to Changchun desp...

• Nai Nai (played by Zhao Shuzhen) — protagonist

  Nai Nai is Billi's paternal grandmother and the emotional center of the family gathering. She has terminal lung cancer but is deliberately kept unaware of the diagnosis. She welcomes the family, gives...

• Haiyan (played by Tzi Ma) — supporting

  Haiyan is one of Billi's parents and helps manage the family's concealment of Nai Nai's terminal illness. Haiyan tells Billi about the diagnosis, warns her to remain in New York City, and supports the...

• Lu Jian (played by Diana Lin Xiaojie) — supporting

  Lu Jian is one of Billi's parents and participates in the decision to hide Nai Nai's cancer diagnosis. Lu Jian helps explain the family's plan to Billi, supports keeping the medical truth from Nai Nai...

• Uncle Haibin (played by Jiang Yongbo) — supporting

  Uncle Haibin is a member of Billi's family who openly defends the decision to conceal Nai Nai's illness. He argues that the lie lets the family carry the emotional burden collectively rather than plac...

• Hao Hao (played by Chen Han) — supporting

  Hao Hao is Billi's cousin from Japan whose wedding provides the family's stated reason for gathering in China. Although the celebration is also intended as a final family reunion for Nai Nai, Hao Hao...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Uncle Haibin → Hao Hao (Family Uncle And Nephew) — They share the strain of the concealed diagnosis during the wedding, though the plot describes their emotional breakdowns as separate occasions.

  Both are identified as members of the family gathered in China for Hao Hao's wedding. Haibin and Hao Hao each break down in tears separately on the we...

• Lu Jian → Hao Hao (Family Aunt And Nephew) — Lu Jian is part of the family gathering at Hao Hao's wedding, which also serves as a reunion with Nai Nai.

  Hao Hao is Billi's cousin, and Lu Jian is one of Billi's parents. The family gathers in China for Hao Hao's wedding.

• Haiyan → Hao Hao (Family Uncle And Nephew) — Haiyan joins the family gathering organized around Hao Hao's wedding and Nai Nai.

  Hao Hao is identified as Billi's cousin and Haiyan as one of Billi's parents; Hao Hao's wedding is used as the reason for the family's trip to China.

• Lu Jian → Uncle Haibin (Family In-Laws) — They participate in the family setting in which Haibin explains why relatives choose to bear the burden of the diagnosis themselves.

  Lu Jian and Uncle Haibin are both identified as members of Billi's family, and both are involved in the gathering and concealment plan.

• Haiyan → Uncle Haibin (Family Brothers) — They are part of the family effort to keep the diagnosis from Nai Nai; Haibin explicitly defends the collective reasoning behind the decision.

  The plot identifies both as members of Nai Nai's family and describes them participating in the family gathering and concealment of her diagnosis.

• Nai Nai → Hao Hao (Family Relative And Grandson) — Hao Hao's wedding becomes the occasion for a family reunion with Nai Nai, while he tries to continue the celebration without exposing the lie.

  Hao Hao's wedding is arranged as the stated reason for the family to gather in China and spend time with Nai Nai.

• Nai Nai → Uncle Haibin (Family Aunt And Nephew) — Haibin supports concealing Nai Nai's illness, arguing that the family should carry the emotional burden together.

  Uncle Haibin is identified as a member of Nai Nai's family, and he takes part in the gathering organized around her.

• Nai Nai → Lu Jian (Family Mother-in-Law And Daughter-in-Law) — Lu Jian supports the family's plan to withhold the medical truth from Nai Nai during their gathering.

  Nai Nai is Billi's paternal grandmother, and Lu Jian is identified as one of Billi's parents. Lu Jian participates in the family's decision to keep Na...

• Nai Nai → Haiyan (Family Mother And Son) — Haiyan helps manage the concealment of his mother's terminal illness while participating in the family gathering with her.

  The plot identifies Nai Nai as Billi's paternal grandmother and Haiyan as one of Billi's parents. Haiyan joins the family in concealing Nai Nai's diag...

• Billi → Hao Hao (Family Cousins) — They attend the wedding that brings the family together around Nai Nai, though the plot gives no specific direct exchange between them.

  Hao Hao is identified as Billi's cousin. His wedding in China provides the stated reason for the family gathering.

• Billi → Uncle Haibin (Family Niece And Uncle) — Their family connection becomes a point of cultural disagreement over whether Nai Nai should be told about her illness.

  Uncle Haibin is described as Billi's family member. He argues that the family lie lets relatives bear the emotional burden collectively, a view Billi...

• Haiyan → Lu Jian (Family Spouses) — They jointly support keeping Nai Nai's diagnosis secret and ask Billi not to travel to China.

  The plot names Haiyan and Jian as Billi's parents and describes them together telling Billi about Nai Nai's cancer and the family's plan.

• Billi → Lu Jian (Family Parent And Daughter) — Lu Jian participates in the family deception, while conversations with Billi expose their differing feelings about keeping the truth from Nai Nai.

  Lu Jian is identified as one of Billi's parents and helps explain the plan to conceal Nai Nai's diagnosis. Billi discusses her guilt and cultural conf...

• Billi → Haiyan (Family Parent And Daughter) — Haiyan tries to keep Billi away from the family gathering because she fears Billi will reveal the diagnosis.

  Haiyan is identified as one of Billi's parents and tells her about Nai Nai's diagnosis. Haiyan also tells Billi to remain in New York City.

• Billi → Nai Nai (Family Granddaughter And Grandmother) — Their close bond drives Billi's struggle between honesty and protecting Nai Nai from the truth.

  The plot identifies Nai Nai as Billi's paternal grandmother and says they have a close relationship. Billi travels to Changchun to spend time with her...

Story Analysis

Billi struggles with a family's decision to conceal Nai Nai's terminal diagnosis, weighing personal honesty against collective care and cultural belief.

Plot Progression

1. A Secret Across the Ocean — After a fellowship rejection, Billi learns that Nai Nai has terminal lung cancer and is not being told. Her parents ask her to stay in New York while the family plans a wedding gathering in China.
2. The Return to Changchun — Billi disobeys her parents and travels to Changchun, promising not to reveal the diagnosis. At the family gathering, she struggles with the deception and its connection to her own family history.
3. A Family's Burden — Haibin explains that the family believes it should bear the emotional burden of the diagnosis rather than Nai Nai. Billi learns that Nai Nai once kept a similar truth from her terminally ill husband.
4. The Wedding and the Lie — The family continues through Hao Hao's wedding while Haibin and Hao Hao each break down in tears. Billi alters Nai Nai's hospital test result so it presents a clean bill of health.
5. Advice and Farewell — Nai Nai gives Billi a hóngbāo and encourages her to pursue her own life instead of dwelling on failure. Billi keeps her promise, says a tearful goodbye, and the closing title card reports that the rea...