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.

Two pilots and their beloveds, all of whom are close friends, try to navigate their lives separate from one another as the men transition to combat.

Vĩnh is a seventh-grade student whose disruptive nature and disregard for studying has greatly frustrated his parents and the school staff alike. When all the teachers end up refusing to take Vĩnh in out of fear of having to deal with his notorious tantrums, only a young teacher, Mrs. Hồng Vân, welcomes the boy into her class with open arms.