It is French Colonial Vietnam in 1929. Holidays are over, and a young French girl from a family that is having some monetary difficulties is returning alone on public transportation to boarding school. During the crossing of the Mekong river, the girl gets out of the bus to lean over the rails of the ferry when she catches the eye of a wealthy and elegant Chinese businessman. He offers her a ride into town in the back of his chauffeured sedan, and sparks fly. Can the affair that ensues between them overcome the class restrictions and social mores of that time?