Saigon, 1975. Communists attack the city during the Tet Offensive. LAM, a South Vietnamese liberal idealist sends his very pregnant wife KIEU to hide in the countryside in care of his younger brother PHONG. Despite Kieu’s protest, Lam goes off to war to join the Americans in their quest to fight for liberty and freedom.

Joining the US as a translator, Lam witnesses atrocities against innocent civilians from those he sought help from. Lam returns home jaded, confused, and hardened. He is met with joy by his wife and brother and immediately is introduced to Bao-Tran, his daughter, a shy girl who does not yet know him to be her father.

Lam tries to make love to his wife, only to be rejected by her as he becomes more violent. Lam understands that his daughter has watched all along. Bao-Tran hides beneath the bed and denies Lam to be her father, saying she already has one who mirrors her mother’s every movement at night. Betrayed, Lam confronts Kieu, who denies all accusations. In his rage Lam beats his wife culminating in the accidental stabbing of Kieu.

In her last moments, Kieu pulls a lamp closer to herself, creating a shadow on the wall. Bao-Tran instantly recognizes that shadow to be her father. Kieu had created a surrogate father in Lam’s absence to keep his memory alive until his return. Kieu dies. Lam, pained and scared, runs away knowing that the shadows of his past will forever haunt him.