Summary

The novel opens with a short narration from Hương, one of the main characters in the story. It is 2012, and Hương reminisces about her late grandmother at her ancestral altar. She imagines her late grandmother telling her about the challenges faced by Vietnamese people.

Back in 1972, Hương is a 12-year-old girl, and from her perspective, she narrates her life living in Hà Nội during the Vietnam war. She lives with her grandmother Diệu Lan as her parents and uncles are fighting through the country as soldiers for Vietnam. Hà Nội is a hotspot for American bombings and Hương (called Guava by her grandmother) and her grandmother live in fear of being bombed.

After a bombing that almost kills Hương and Diệu Lan, Hà Nội residents are advised to...