An adaption from Vietnamese funny folktales.

One month before the Fall of Saigon, a city in Central Highland plunges into chaos, as its disillusioned citizens prepare to witness what was once a glorious and beautiful time collapse before their own eyes.

The film follows the life of Nguyễn Văn Trỗi from shortly before he was caught for his attempted assassination of McNamara to his eventual execution, leaving behind his newlywed and others around the couple.

Lonely at old age, Định seeks solace in the companionship of a colleague who then moves in to live with him. Wary of an imminent marriage that will interfere with their inheritance, Định’s children scheme to break up his new relationship.

In an old house in Hanoi, Bi, a 6-year-old child lives with his parents, his aunt and their cook. His favorite playgrounds are an ice factory and the wild grass along the river. After being absent for years, his grandfather, seriously ill, reappears and settles at their house. While Bi gets closer to his grandfather, his father tries to avoid any contact with his family. Every night, he gets drunk and goes and see his masseuse, for whom he feels a quiet strong desire. Bi's mother turns a blind eye on it. The aunt, still single, meets a 16-year-old young boy in the bus. Her attraction to him moves her deeply.

Rapid rising water in the river can potentially break the dike and cause disastrous flood endangering the villagers. Miss Dung, Chairman of the Commune, must find a way to persuade people to destroy the minor dike and sacrifice some parts of their houses and land in order to protect the main dike.

A woman running from her past meets a poor farmer who offers to marry her and raise her newborn as his own. After marrying they struggle to make a happy life together as their family grows and the war rages around them.

The Vietnam War from the North's viewpoint. Air raids on Hanoi stiffen the resolve of the population to strike back against a far more powerful enemy.