Phuong Ly, a poor, beautiful Vietnamese woman, falls in love with an attractive, kind and wealthy man who wants to take her hand in marriage. Her life is seemingly perfect until her boyfriend's mother purposefully sabotages their relationship. Heartbroken and fragile, Phuong Ly travels to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a cleaner at a marriage agency. There she meets Mitch, one of the men seeking an arranged marriage. He takes a strong interest in her, and coerces her to marry him with the promise that he'll support her family in Vietnam and that she'll receive a better life. However as soon as she arrives in America, Phuong Ly realizes she has been brought as a slave. She is violated and abused with no hope of escape. The only ray of light is the bond she develops with the American's young, autistic niece; both of them prisoners needing to escape.
Under the drizzling rain of the bustling Saigon city, a dreamy musician and a hard-headed realistic girl stumble across each other and fall in love. In the face of economic, social, familial, and romantic adversity, they are yet to answer their own questions on how to have a happy life.