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Nick Stratton, owner of Stratton Apparel, hires
Vietnamese women to work in his sweatshop because they are willing to
work for little pay. Monica's assignment is to help Nick, a "good man
with a bad attitude." Nick hires Monica as his accountant the same day
that Am-Nhac Nguyen starts at the factory, pressing pants on a faulty
steam press. Am-Nhac and the other women are willing to work for Nick
because he will pay for citizenship classes if they meet their
rigorous daily quotas. Tess, who teaches the class, tells Am-Nhac that
her father, Cadao, can attend as well. The next day Nick, under
pressure from his clients, raises the quotas, and Am-Nhac, in a hurry
to meet hers, severely burns her arm. Nick fires Am-Nhac because her
injury will slow her down. Monica asks Nick why he is so hard on his
workers, and Nick tells her his story. As a soldier, Nick helped a
captured Vietnamese boy escape. Nick knew the boy was not Viet Cong
because he had a peace symbol, an American fad, tattooed on his
shoulder. Nick was court-martialed for aiding the enemy and returned
to the U.S. a war criminal. His uncle left the factory to him when he
died. Monica convinces Nick to let Am-Nhac keep her job. Am-Nhac, with
Tess' help, works through the night to meet her quota. When Cadao
picks her up, Nick sees the tattoo on his shoulder, a peace symbol.
Nick realizes that Cadao is the boy he helped escape, and the person,
Nick believes, who is responsible for ruining his life. Meanwhile,
Tess teaches her students about how the early Americans protested
against British rule, and Am-Nhac decides to protest the dangerous
working conditions at the factory. The plan backfires, however, when
Nick fires everyone. When Andrew, posing as an I.R.S. agent, explains
that Nick owes the government several thousand dollars in back taxes,
Nick plants a time bomb in the factory. Before he can leave, however,
one of the rickety shelves collapses, trapping Nick. Seconds before
the bomb is to detonate, the timer stops ticking and Monica appears to
Nick. She tells him that God loves him and is proud of him for saving
the young man's life. Nick asks God to forgive him for the hatred he
has lived with for so long. The clock begins ticking again and when
Nick screams for help, Am-Nhac arrives with Cadao, who diffuses the
bomb. Nick asks Am-Nhac for forgiveness and reveals that he is the
soldier who helped Cadao in Vietnam. Am-Nhac and Cadao are happy to
finally be able to thank him for his act of kindness. Later, Nick
attends the swearing-in ceremony for Am-Nhac and her Cadao, finally
United States citizens.
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