Ten years in the lives of second-generation children from working-class Chinese families as they study, work, and make a life in the United States.
To escape the rat race back home, a fifteen-year-old boy is sent to America after his parents sell their home and take on debt. It isn't a quest to chase his dreams, but an all-or-nothing escape. The sacrifices and hopes of an old Shanghai neighborhood collide with the cold reality of a foreign land. Language barriers, wealth inequality, and the hostility and abuse of his host family plunge him from the relief of escaping endless exam drills into loneliness and depression. Behind his lies that everything is fine, while he hides his troubles, the rift with his parents only grows.
At his lowest point, 3D modeling becomes a glimmer of light. Creating with his hands rebuilds his shattered confidence, and a professor's recognition and the glory of winning a competition help him slowly emerge from his shell. A healing campus romance, finding his footing through hard work, and eventually meeting a partner who understands his trauma all help him find redemption through his work and relationships. Yet he still can't cross the chasm between himself and his parents.
Only when an industry downturn hits and he experiences firsthand how hard it is to support a family does he understand the weight of his parents' sacrifice in selling their home to fund his education. A long-overdue thaw and an honest conversation quietly melt years of estrangement. After ten years of wandering, from sinking in a foreign land to finding a home filled with the warmth of everyday life, he finally makes peace with the past, with his parents, and with his imperfect self. The other shore, it turns out, was never somewhere far away. Wherever the heart finds peace, there is a welcoming light.
