Set against a gloriously filmed backdrop of the distinctly jaded charm of mid-90s Saigon, the lives of two men intertwine as they are both bound by traditions and honor. One to his mafia family, the other to the traveling troupe that performs elaborate classic operas. Yet they have much more in common than either wants to admit.

The year is 1950 and an English couple, Louise and Michael, have arrived in French-occupied Indochina to cover a story on a French-owned rubber plantation. They are to be the guests of the enigmatic plantation overseer, Daniel, and his beautiful yet difficult daughter Viola, at their elegant, decaying villa amid a tropical jungle. Michael and Louise hope that some time spent working in an exotic location will help reignite the passion in their floundering marriage. Instead they become unwittingly involved in the personal, sexual and political tensions of their hosts. Daniel is desperate to hold onto a way of life no longer possible in a country struggling for independence, bringing him into conflict with not only his daughter but also with his adopted country.