 In 1963 a boy and his mother are left in Saigon while his father and brother flee to seek shelter from religious persecution in North Vietnam. The two brothers meet as strangers in a hapless confrontation during the war in 1973. Thirty years later, a Buddhist monk is still haunted by his memories of war and betrayal on the anniversary of his brother s death.This is a tragic story that resonates deeply to this day in the hearts of many Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American families.