The film is anchored by a wartime re-encounter between a servant child and a tutor, transformed in the crucible of the spring 1968 Saigon offensive.
Phương and his sister Vân reunite after years of separation in the war, but their clashing political affiliations soon set them apart.
A young man, recently returned from study abroad, accompanies his father on a ship bringing food and weapons to South Vietnam.
Hoài and Vận fall in love during the war against the French. Vận fought as a guerrilla and Vận ferried guerrillas across the river. When peace comes, Vietnam is divided in two across the Bến Hải River, leaving them separated.
