"A courageous and bold achievement by a bright new voice." Ocean Vuong

A young woman, torn between two cultures, belonging to neither. A family, torn apart by a war they had no choice about.

Kiều calls herself Kim because it's easier for Europeans to pronounce. She knows little about her Vietnamese family's history until she receives a Facebook message from her estranged uncle in America, telling her that her grandmother is dying. Her father and uncle haven't spoken since the end of the Vietnam War. One brother supported the Viet Cong, while the other sided with the Americans.

When Kiều and her parents travel to America to join the rest of the family in California for the funeral, questions relating to their past--to what has been suppressed--resurface and demand to be addressed.