A thrilling and haunting account of historical events in the Trịnh clan in the late 18th century with the central conflict between lord Trịnh Sâm who was feeble and indecisive, and a cunning and manipulative concubine named Đặng Thị Huệ. Based on the novel of the same name by Nguyễn Huy Tưởng.

Toward the end of 1946, residents from all walks of Hanoi struggle to avoid—and eventually accept—the possibility of a full-blown war.