Anousak, formerly of the Khmer Rouge, comes seeking sanctuary after years of civil war and personal misery. Thinking back to his youth in Laos he reflects on his childhood with his friends Siva, who was like a brother to him; and Mekra, the young woman over whom both boys had fiercely competed for while she had tried to decide which of the two she loved most. Betrayed by his best friend and following a family tragedy, Anousak and his mother move to Cambodia to be under the care of relatives. There Anousak soon finds himself caught-up in the political turmoil which brought the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot into power, only once again to meet-up with Siva. Will their friendship mend, will they both survive the atrocities surrounding them, and will either of them reunite with Mekra now that she is no longer in either man's life? What will the future hold for them is it true that somewhere down the gentle flowing river, ever rippling, their love will live for ever more?