vietnam, 1939. sarah, an expat, working as an archivist for the french colonial government in hanoi, is devastated when she finds a vietnamese co-worker murdered. as sarah seeks the murderer, she becomes more entangled in the vietnamese people's struggle for independence. when the japanese using vietnam as a base to assist in their invasion of china demand the french archives hand over important documentation, sarah realizes she can no longer remain on the sidelines. her life is further complicated by the arrival of an old friend, julia, who reminds sarah of a past she would rather forget. when a close friend of sarah's is arrested and executed for revolutionary activities sarah and julia are heartsick. they decide to return to the states, but their plans are thwarted as the world is heading towards the unimaginable horrors of world war two.