Eleven-year-old Linh shows great grace under pressure. When her mother, who’s raising her kids on her own, has to return unexpectedly to Vietnam, Linh looks after her little sister Tien and the family restaurant on her own. Of course, no one is supposed to find out, not the school, not the neighbours, and definitely not child protective services. But Linh’s biggest problem has red hair, a telescope and a sly grin: Pauline. The daredevil from across the street has the whole neighbourhood under surveillance and can’t imagine anything cooler than a life without parents. When Pauline blackmails the Vietnamese sisters into starting a gang with her, the three girls set off on a daring adventure.

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.