Dao

Dao is the narrator of the story. Nearly 100 years old, he has lived in many places outside his native Vietnam: London, Paris, and now New Orleans. Dao was in Vietnam during the war, and though it is not explicitly stated, must have fled the country after the fall of South Vietnam to the communists. He is living his final years with his family.

While in Paris many decades ago, Dao became a Hoa Hao Buddhist, and thus he values "harmony among all living things, especially the members of a Vietnamese family." Dao comes to understand that his son-in-law and grandson are involved with the assassination of a fellow immigrant who supported acceptance of the idea of communist rule in Vietnam. Through his discussions with Ho, Dao, who "has never done a political thing," decides to overlook this knowledge to preserve his family. However, the conversations with Ho also...