In Great Leaps, Colin Flahive explores China's rural-urban migration
against the backdrop of his own transition from Colorado to southwest
China. There he partnered with three friends to open a café that became
much more than simply an outpost of Western cuisine in a far-flung
corner of the world. Over the course of a decade, Salvador's Coffee
House became home to more than 50 young women from mountain villages in
the surrounding countryside. Most knew nothing about coffee or Western
food, but they moved to the city to work at Salvador's and earn their
independence. Great Leaps follows the challenges faced by Colin, his
partners and his employees as they leave their old lives behind to make
a new home in a foreign land. They encounter unlikely successes, endure
heartbreaks and nearly lose everything. But by taking the leap together,
they all find their own places in the modern Chinese dream.