 Inspired by the characters of Nguyen Du s 19th century masterpiece "the Story of Kieu", the first epic poem written in Vietnamese. It relates the destiny of Kieu, a young Vietnamese woman who sacrifices herself for her family. Itself based on an early Chinese legend, the epic poem chronicles the fate of Kieu, a beautiful young girl, who soon after her betrothal to her true love is left alone when he returns home to deal with a death in his family. After saying goodbye to her future husband Kieu returns to her house to find her father is about to be imprisoned on trumped up charges. She offers herself to free her father without fully understanding the ramifications of the life she has chosen. A stunning and tragic story of loyalty and the perils of beauty, it was written as an allegory for Vietnam, Nguyen Du s beautiful mother country which has almost always been possessed by others.