Long, who decides to take part in the reestablishment of his ruined country after the Vietnam War, is imprisoned for reeducation on the charge that he is tainted by capitalism. He endures a brutal life. Meanwhile, his mother, wife Mai and son Lai narrowly succeed in emigrating in a tiny boat, and like many others settle in America at its lowermost rung. Lai′s letter from America is miraculously delivered into Long′s hands. With Long′s picture drawn by Lai, it is written that his son wishes to get the letter back from his dad when they are together again. Long endures the terrible reeducation with the mere hope of seeing his family again, and he resolutely carries out an escape. Unfortunately, he loses his life in the process. The letter to be returned to his son drifts down the river, scattered among the rubbish. The film suggests with realistic description how the first generation of Vietnam War refugees suffered in fetters, and of their life to the present. The power of the remarkable mise-en-scene gets slightly discolored due to the outline of the intense narrative, but the film vividly displays the national grief engraved on the director′s body as a second generation Vietnamese boat person. (Lee Wang-joo)