In the present, a first generation Asian-American male grows up resenting his Chinese mother, who is a mail-order bride. Although they were close when he was younger, he rejects his heritage when he is in grade school and becomes estranged from her. However, after her death, he rediscovers the origami animals she folded, which had the ability to come to life, and he reads messages from her during a traditional Chinese festival honoring the dead.