When a Chinese-American man living in NYC's roommate moves out, he worries his landlady, Mrs. Chen, will increase his rent. He works in a sweatshop and can't afford higher rent. His roommate moved out because the other three girls who live on the second floor of Mrs. Chen's house, Huong, Lili, and Nana, are prostitutes who often receive clients in the house.

Mrs. Chen doesn't increase is rent; however, she asks him to become the girls' driver, saying clients will treat them better. He reluctantly agrees. He also begins eating meals with them, provided by Mrs. Chen. The girls are all Chinese but pretend to be from other Asian countries for clients.

He has a crush on Huong, but thinks he would never date Huong while she is still a prostitute, which he sees as not respectable. As he and Huong become closer, he learns she owes a lot of money from a man named "The Croc" for smuggling her to America; unlike the other two girls, she is an undocumented immigrant.

One day, while driving Huong home after an awful encounter, he asks her, "Can't you do something less dangerous for a living?" She says she'll take any job he finds her.

One night, there is a cry from Nana's room. A client is saying he'll stay the night to get his money's worth, which isn't allowed. The protagonist threatens to call the cops and lie to them and say he broke in to assault her. This scares the man off. Afterward, all the girls are fond toward the protagonist, even Lili who previously didn't like him.

The protagonist gets sick and takes time off from work. Huong takes care of him while he's sick. After he'd recovered and some sewers quit, he tells Huong he can get her a job at his factory. She says it wouldn't pay enough to pay off her debts to The Croc. He offers to help pay them off. Still not enough. They go to The Croc to ask for an extension, to pay a lower monthly amount, and he refuses. They know he can kill them and their families back in China and Vietnam if they cross him.

Then, they decide to run away together, using their savings to start a new life, even though they know it will have consequences for their families. They pack their bags without telling anyone at the brothel and leave together in the night.