An opera company touring rural Vietnam is beset with personal, political and sociological infighting. The company's two lead actresses' friendship is threatened with romantic entanglements involving past and present boyfriends. issues like pregnancy, abortion, gambling, adultery, poverty , women's rights and spousal abuse as well as the relevancy of old, less popular operas and the role of the entertainer during times of economic upheaval are considered. The film uses a parallel stage/realty, "drama-within-a-drama" construct.