Ken's father, Yau King Eng fled China and Mao's communist regime over 40 years ago, braving a 5-hour swim to British-controlled Hong Kong, and eventually making his way to America. The film chronicles his return to a very different country; living standards are greatly improved and the forbidden channel he once swam is spanned by a bridge.

The family he left behind is thriving and he is left wondering whether he should remain in his current home as a Chinese-American in Boston or return to the land of his birth.