In ‘50s Saigon, 10-year-old Mui (Man San) enters household service for an affluent but troubled Vietnamese family. Despite her servile role, Mui discovers beauty and epiphany in the lush physical details that envelope her. She observes her new surroundings with trusting eyes, trying to remember every detail: the smell of the green papaya, the taste of the water, and the colors of fabrics sold by the lady of the house. But one day, the father disappears with the fortune of the household.
