In the central Vietnamese village of Ky La, young Le Ly Hayslip works alongside her mother in the rice paddies. The French invaded the idyllic village in 1953, burning it to the ground, but Le Ly and her family have helped to rebuild the community. In 1963, however, Ky La is forever changed when communist Viet Cong rebels arrive, Angry that the French and Americans have divided their country into North and South. When Le Ly’s brothers, Bon and Sau, join the rebel army, she fear she will never see them again. In time, Vietnamese government soldiers, under the guidance of Americans troops, arrive in Ky La to train the peasants to fight against the Viet Cong. Although Le Ly is sent to a work camp and indoctrinated with anti-Viet Cong propaganda, she joins her fellow Ky La villagers in ambushing government soldiers, and is taken prisoner. She is interrogated and tortured until her bribes an official to get her released. However, the Viet Cong believe Le Ly is a traitor, and hold a rifle to her head. She vows her allegiance, but is raped by the leader. Afterward, she moves to Saigon with her mother and sister, and finds work in the home of a wealthy couple named Madame Lien and Master Anh. There, Le Ly is seduced by Anh, and her mother notices she is pregnant. Cursing her daughter’s stupidity, she takes Le Ly to an herbalist to abort the baby, but the remedies do not work. Madame Lien discovers the pregnancy and forces Anh to send the girl to Danang. He promises to send Le Ly money, but it never arrives. Meanwhile, her mother returns to Ky La, and her father disowns her for having a baby out of wedlock. However, he travels to Danang to see Le Ly at the home of her sister, Hai, who works as a prostitute. Le Ly is too ashamed to see her father, but she overhears him tell Hai that he forgives her. After he leaves, Le Ly chastises Hai for disrespecting their father, and Hai evicts her. Le Ly gives birth to a son she names Jimmy, and struggles to support herself. Resisting prostitution, she sells cigarettes on the street. However, after months of starving, she accepts a proposition from two high-paying American G.I.s. Afterward, she returns to Ky La to visit her dying father, and is stunned to see the devastated village. Her father says he is proud of her, and that her life’s mission is to be a good mother. When he dies, Le Ly pays for an elaborate funeral, and mourns him for 100 days. A year later, the war continues, but Le Ly’s luck improves when she gets a job as a cocktail waitress. When her prostitute friend asks her to help trick an American G.I. out of his money, she reluctantly agrees. The soldier, Steve Butler, takes a liking to Le Ly, and begins following her. He asks her to spend time with him, promising he is only looking for friendship. Le Ly tells Steve she is not interested, but after a night spent talking, Le Ly is won over, and makes love to Steve. Despite her reluctance to get involved, Le Ly is lured by Steve’s promises to take care of her and her mother after the war in his home town of San Diego, California. Three years after their marriage, the war drags on and they live in a village with their new son, Tommy. Le Ly tries to convince her mother to move to America with them, but she insists on staying in Ky La. When their village is attacked, Steve puts Le Ly and her sons on a helicopter with a letter, pleading for evacuation. The pilot drops them off a short distance away, and they join the thousands of peasants fleeing the war-torn countryside. Miraculously, Steve finds Le Ly on the street, and the reunited family moves to San Diego. Le Ly is welcomed by Steve’s family, and learns that they will live with his mother because Steve is penniless from paying child support to his former wife, Beverly, for their two children. In time, Le Ly struggles to adapt to American culture. When she tells Steve she wants to work so they can afford their own home, he shares his plan to retire from military service in three years, and that he has been promised a high-paying civilian job selling arms overseas. Le Ly is furious that he would accept such a position, and accuses him of lying to her to get her to marry him. Against Steve’s wishes, Le Ly takes a job at a circuit board factory and secretly saves money to open a restaurant. When Steve discovers her plan, they fight, and over time he becomes an abusive alcoholic. The conflict comes to a head when Steve learns Le Ly has been exchanging letters with Jimmy’s father, Anh. As she asks for a divorce, he points a shotgun at her head, then drops the weapon and admits he has been discharged from the Marines. He reveals he will not be getting the arms-selling job, after all, and rambles about the atrocities of war. Believing he has lost his mind, Steve puts the shotgun in his mouth, but Le Ly stops him from pulling the trigger. She comforts him and shares that she, too, went through hell in Vietnam. Le Ly insists they must not give up, but in time their marriage crumbles. Le Ly speaks with a divorce lawyer, and wonders if she should return to Vietnam. Sometime later, Steve kidnaps Tommy and their youngest son, Alan, threatening Le Ly to drop the divorce. Desperate, she seeks advice from a Buddhist monk, who tells her to forgive Steve if she hopes to find redemption, and heal her karma. Le Ly telephones Steve and says she wants to give their marriage another chance, professing her love for him. However, Steve later shoots himself in the head. In time, Le Ly prospers from real estate investments, and from owning a restaurant. Thirteen years after the war, she returns to Vietnam with her sons, and takes Jimmy to meet his father, Anh, wondering if her true love has changed. Although Anh has lost his wealth, he is pleased to see Le Ly, and embraces his son. Le Ly returns to Ky La and is reunited with her elderly mother, and brother, Bon, who is angry that she married an American “enemy.” Bon reveals their mother has suffered since the war, and Le Ly feels guilty for leaving. Later, however, her mother tells her she is proud. Le Ly makes an offering at a Buddhist temple, and tries to find peace between her past and present.