At the age of 17, Luu is raped by her master. When the young girl falls pregnant and gossips arise in the master’s social circle, he strips her family of their land and banishes them from the estate. Left with little means to support themselves, the family moves to Bac Lieu with Cu, the kind-hearted farmer who marries Luu, and tries to foster a new life here, though remnants of the past is bound to return one day.

Before the events of A Better Tomorrow (1986), Mark 'Gor' Lee heads to Saigon during the Vietnam War to bring home his uncle and cousin, but his task becomes complicated when a well-known criminal tries to help him.