Khai Diep’s emotional landscape is unique; while he experiences irritation over small matters and contentment with precise balance in his ledgers, he believes he is devoid of significant emotions like grief and love. Feeling defective, he attributes his emotional differences to his autism. Despite his avoidance of relationships, his mother intervenes and travels back to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
Meanwhile, Esme Tran, a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, has always felt like an outsider. When presented with the opportunity to come to America and meet a potential husband, she sees it as a chance to improve her family’s circumstances. However, her attempts to win Khai’s affection do not unfold as expected. Esme finds herself falling for him, even though Khai firmly believes he can never reciprocate her feelings.
As Esme’s time in the United States draws to a close, Khai begins to understand that he has misunderstood his emotions all this while. In this tale of self-discovery and love, Khai learns that there are multiple ways to experience love beyond what he initially believed.
