 Rose, a Shanhainese songstress singing at nightclubs in HongKong during the 60 s, marries an Australian sailor and migrates with her young son and daughter to Melbourne. Her past filled with lost innocence, she begins a cycle of dependence and desperation to create a family for herself and her children, culminating with her affair with Qi, an illegal immigrant from HongKong. Watched through the eyes of her young son, the mother s journey reveals painful truths about the human condition, the love of family and self, and the price we pay for growing up.