Vũ Ngọc Quang

Lonely at old age, Định seeks solace in the companionship of a colleague who then moves in to live with him. Wary of an imminent marriage that will interfere with their inheritance, Định’s children scheme to break up his new relationship.

Thang is a Hanoi intellectual and graduates from university with high distinction causing his former teacher, Dao, to invite him to work in a mathematics institute of odd algorithms. He has problems because of his personality and refuses to give up his mathematical perspectives. He distinguishes himself as a person of integrity, which also causes problems for him.

In early 20th century, a Vietnamese aristocratic socialite falls in love with a poor scholar though her father, a powerful governor, is determined to separate them, even with extreme measures.