The Cyclo Boy lives in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Surrounded by the vices and sleaze of the city, he works hard and honestly to survive. One day, he is mugged and drawn into gangland crime to get money. He meets The Poet, the enigmatic gang leader. The Cyclo Boy is impressed by his power and wants to join the gang. This involves a gruesome period of initiation. As he rises in the world of crime, he sinks lower into despair, steadily losing touch with reality. Meanwhile, unknown to him, The Poet is pimping the Cyclo Boy's sister.