Mercedes, a lost soul of 24, finds herself in the Shangri-La City of
Hue, where North and South have agreed not to fi ght because it is
the revered cultural center of Vietnam. Thanh, a brittle intellectual,
is desperately trying to map the history of the neglected citadel
before it crumbles. He and Mercedes fall in love, and she uses
artistic talents in trying to make his dream a lasting reality. Plans
for a marriage-and Hue itself-fall victim to the Tet Offensive of
1968, during which Thanh is forced to reveal a secret that is worse
than the loss of life itself.