Embittered Vietnam veteran Shang (Ed Harris) feels like he is at war with the Vietnamese immigrants who recently moved into his hometown of Alamo Bay. He sees their presence as a threat to his Gulf Coast livelihood, shrimp fishing, especially after his boat is repossessed. Shang's ex-girlfriend Glory (Amy Madigan) refuses to buy into the townsfolk's racism and instead sticks with her Vietnamese hires, even though the xenophobic backlash is becoming increasingly violent.