A lonely middle-aged woman dines alone in a Chinese restaurant on her birthday. She pays close attention to the other patrons, imagining their relationships and personal situations. She remembers her past lovers and child, and broods on her bitter sense of loss and loneliness. In an unthinking moment, she announces to the waitress that it is her birthday, and the entire social dynamic in the restaurant is altered. An intensely moving, bittersweet and realistic look at emotional loss and disconnection.

Jacky is a Chinese kid aged 25 of emigrant parents who lives in a terraced house in Eindhoven with his mother. He grew up in the vacuum between two cultures. He is intelligent but lacks the energy to steer his life in a specific direction. Jacky's calm life is disrupted when his mother urges him to marry a girl from China, following tradition, and leave the parental home. Before he realises, he is living with the young Chinese Chi-Chi in a new apartment in Amsterdam. Chi-Chi has trouble finding her feet in her new surroundings. Her mother-in-law is not keen on her and it is difficult for her to build an intimate relationship with Jacky.