When American soldiers departed Vietnam, many left children behind--like seventeen-year-old Loi, whose fellow villagers ostracize her because she is con-lai, a half-breed and a reminder of her country's tragic civil war. Only Khai, a young buffalo tender, shows her love and respect. Promised in an arranged marriage to a cruel older man, Loi flees to Ho Chi Minh City. Along with thousands of others, she applies for the chance to leave for...