 In the mid 1970 s, a young girl s family must endure a nightmarish life in her native country of Cambodia under the domination of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. But things change for the better when an American family agrees to sponsor their immigration to the United States of America. They soon prove to have some difficulty adjusting to their new home as with language barriers and survival habits that are not necessary anymore, but are hard to break. While they are learning, one of the daughters struggles harder than the others and is personally driven to become a champion contender in spelling bees.