This drama provides an insightful examination of life in Vietnam following the Vietnamese war. It places special focus upon the fate of Amerasians in a country that values "racial purity." Son is half Vietnamese and half African-American. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Son's mother tried to find his father, an officer, so Son could go to America. She cannot find him and Son is taken away by the new regime to live in a work camp in the mountains near Cambodia. There can be no escape from these dread camps. Escape attempts are met with death or torture. Much of the film focuses on Son's attempts to adjust to the harshness of camp life. Son does make some friends in Bob, and a camp instructor. He and Bob befriend Shrimp and together they do escape on a raft with hopes of riding the river into Saigon.