Hong Kong, 1941. Following the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family flee to Hong Kong, believing it to be protected under British occupation. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a sheltered – if lonely – existence overseeing her daughter Qiang’s education, while managing the household alongside her devoted maid, Biyu. But when the Japanese army invade, the three women are scattered. Mingzhu’s affinity for languages spares her from physical labour, but she is coerced into working for a Japanese captain. Qiang and Biyu escape the island, only to be forced into factory work, until an encounter with the East River Column Resistance fighters separates them once more. The longer the brutal occupation lasts, the more determined the women are to resist. And as war rages around the world, each is holding onto the hope that the other is alive.