- Ray travels back to Vietnam to help retrieve a statue in return for a list of POWs still being held. During the transaction Ray is blinded and must learn to exist in a new world.
- A young woman hires Ray to travel to Vietnam to her to recover a valuable statue. A buyer is willing to offer a list with the location of missing American POWs so Ray agrees, but is soon blinded in an attempt on his life. Ray has to learn how to navigate with the aid of a reluctant ex-serviceman, recover the statue, and thwart the men after him.—Gislef
- Saigon: April, 1975
U.S. forces evacuate the city, and a group of men hide a statue in a wall.
Ho Chi Minh City: Present Day
A facially-wounded Ray is brought into a local hospital. An unconscious woman, Colette Tran is brought in with him. The attending surgeon performs surgery on Ray's eyes.
Earlier
Ray looks on as Colette tries to convince her grandfather, Tran, to come back with her to the States. He refuses, saying that the city is now his home. Ray and Colette leave via cab, and Ray check on the statue in a case. As they arrive at the airport, a man with a goatee, Ling Bong, secretly watches them. Ray hides the statue in the seat of the cab, and as he and Colette get out of the cab, Ray sees Ling Bong and his scarred associate approaching them. He tells Colette to get on the plane and not ask questions, and the other man puts a case down matching the one Ray is carrying that is now empty. Ling grabs Ray's case and runs, and Ray grabs the second case, yells at Colette to get down, and throws it. It explodes in Ray's face, knocking him down.
Now
Ray wakes up in a hospital room, and the attending surgeon tells Ray that his blindness might not be permanent. When Ray asks about Colette, the surgeon says nothing and Ray figures that she's dead.
The Past
Colette comes to Ray and asks for his help recovering the statue. She explains that Tran's friend Bing called her and says that the two of them found eight statues during an excavation project. Her grandfather has the main statue of the Emperor, and the museum has offered Bing a large amount of money for the complete collection. Ray isn't interested in assisting with a financial transaction, and Colette tells him that Bing has offered to "pay" with a list of American POWs still in Vietnam. She says that her father was a military advisor in Vietnam, and his plane went down in the North three weeks after her mother became pregnant with Colette. She wonders if her father's name is on the list.
Now
The captain of the police meets with Ray and confirms his fake ID that Ray is the navigational officer on a cruise line. He notes that Ray's ship sailed a week ago, and asks how he recognized the bomb in the suitcase. The captain notes that a passerby took Ray's bag, and Ray feigns ignorance. The captain says that the air pressure changes of plane travel would reduce Ray's chance of getting his vision back, but says that they'll hold onto his passport just in case. He offers his condolences on Colette's death and leaves.
The surgeon leads Ray out to a cab and says that he can't turn Colette's body over to Ray. He advises Ray to take care. As Ray leaves, the captain watches him go.
The cab driver confirms that they're being followed and tells Ray that a police car is behind them. Ray offers the driver money to lose their tail, and the driver speeds up and loses the police car down an alley. He stops and asks Ray where he wants to go, but finds nothing but his money on the back seat.
At the hospital, the captain reminds the surgeon that the hospital belongs to the state and the people want to know who Ray is. The surgeon isn't interested in discussing politics, and gets a call for the captain. The captain's men inform him that they lose Ray, and the surgeon listens in, smiling. Once the captain hangs up, the surgeon tells him that it should be easy to find a blind man... unless the hunters are just as blind.
Ray has a local woman take him to Tran's house.
The Past
Colette tells Tran that she knows there's danger and that's why she brought Ray. Ray insists that the American servicemen deserve to go home, but Tran isn't happy with the American "conquerors" in his country and doesn't care. He refuses to give up the Emperor to help Americans, but Colette tells him not to let the Emperor go to people who don't respect it. Tran gives in and gives them the statue, but says that he's not doing it for the Americans and refuses to go to the States with Colette.
Now
Ray goes inside the house and tells Tran that his granddaughter has been killed by Vietnamese. He describes the two men from the airport, says that whoever they were will be sorry they didn't kill him, and leaves.
Later, Ray has a local guide him to a blind America, Johnny. Johnny is selling incense sticks, and has an American "Anytime, Anywhere" tattoo on the back of his left hand. Ray says that he saw Johnny the other day and needs his help. He saw the tattoo and knew the soldiers who wore it were the very best. Ray explains his situation, but Johnny still isn't interested in helping him. Johnny shoves the blind Ray down and tells him that he needs a miracle.
Johnny takes Ray to his shack and tells him that the first step isn't to panic, and then get angry. When Ray says that he doesn't need Johnny to tell him how he's feeling, Johnny punches him in the face and invites Ray to come at him. Ray swings back and misses, and Johnny pins him to the wall and tells him to let go of his rage. He shoves Ray down, and Ray gets up and manages to land a blow in Johnny's gut, knock him to the floor, and get a chokehold on him. Johnny admits that Ray is good and asks why he's in Vietnam. Ray says that if Johnny keeps him alive long enough, maybe he'll tell him.
The training begins, and Johnny teaches Ray how to clap his hands and listen to the echo, then practice finding a dropped can.
Ling keeps Tran under surveillance, and talks to himself about his "old friend" and how they both lost people in prison. He figures Tran has a buyer for the statue, and gave it to Ray and Colette, and Ray hid it in the cab. The scarred man goes to find the cab.
Ray remembers being on the cruise ship with Colette.
The Past
Ray, posing as the navigational office, approaches Colette at the railing and comments on her habit of crushing rose petals. She explains that in the camps, she was one of the children forced to drag back the bodies of workers who died during forced labor. Since then she crushes rose petals to get the smell of death off her hands. Ray kisses her hands and then they kiss.
Now
The next day, Johnny takes Ray out on the street. Ray hears the radio of two police officers and tells Johnny that they have to go. Johnny runs off with Ray in tow, and the two policemen chase after them. He leads Ray into a ventilation shaft in an alley, and the policemen are unable to find them. While they hide, Johnny tells Ray that is' time for him to tell him what kind of mess he's in. Once Ray does, Johnny figures that Ray was begging for trouble. The blind ex-soldier figures Ray had it bad for Colette, and Ray admits that he did. Ray asks Johnny why he doesn't go back to the States, and Johnny says that when he did, a college girl spit on him. He says that the soldier he once was is gone, and he survived but was blinded in the same grenade explosion that took out four of his buddies.
That night, Ray leaves money for the sleeping Johnny. Johnny hears him and warns Ray that he's not ready. Ray insists that it's game time, and insists that he has to find the missing American soldiers. Johnny figures that they might be dead and don't want to come home, and yells at the departing Ray that he doesn't know a thing. He goes after Ray, who is waiting for him, and leads Ray on.
Ray and Johnny go to the cab company at the dock and Ray remembers the cab number. They feel the cabs for the painted-on number and Ray finds it, and recovers the statue. He hears a car pull up outside and the scarred man come in, and hides. Ray bumps into a barrel and the scarred man shoots at him and misses. Johnny draws the man's fire and Ray throws a crowbar across the garage to draw Scarface's attention. Ray then grapples with the man and throws him into a pit, but not before Scarface claws at Ray's eyes. Johnny checks on Ray, who is gasping in pain, and takes him to the hospital.
Back at Johnny's shack, Johnny takes the statue and tells Ray that he'll take care of it. He hides it in a hole in the wall, then takes Ray to the hospital. The surgeon reminds Ray that he told him to protect his eyes, and takes a look at them. Meanwhile, the nurse calls the police.
Ray confirms that he can see the light that the surgeon is shining in his eyes. Meanwhile, he smells roses on the surgeon's hands. The surgeon says that the tissue is healing, and Ray leaves with Johnny. Ray tells Johnny what he smelled and that Colette is alive.
Colette sits in her hospital room, reading a book and crushing rose petals. The police guard lets the surgeon in, and tells Colette that soon she won't be a prisoner. Colette angrily slaps the surgeon and tells him not to come near her again, and he apologizes before leaving.
Outside, the surgeon tells the captain that Ray might be a ship's navigator like he claims. The captain doesn't believe it, pointing out that Ray survived a bombing, and knows about the cab being vandalized. The captain tells the surgeon to use drugs to get answers from Colette, or he'll interrogate her his own way.
Johnny takes Ray back to his shack, and a beggar spots them going in and calls the police. The captain and his men arrive, but Ray and Johnny are gone. While the captain has his men search the area, Ray and Johnny go to Tran's house and Ray tells the grandfather that Colette is alive but the authorities have her at the hospital, figuring she knows where the Emperor is. Ray says that he needs someone to be his eyes, and Tran agrees.
Across the street, Ling and Scarface figure they can't take Ray and Tran on the street because it will draw police attention. They figure that if they stay with Ray, he'll lead them to the Emperor.
Later, Ray goes to the hospital posing as a doctor. Tran is in a wheelchair Ray is pushing, and gives Ray directions so he can navigate as if sighted. Ray goes to the main desk and angrily demands the patient list, and the nurses fall for his bluff and hand them over. The two men duck into a supply closet and although Colette's name isn't on the list, Ray identifies her room by the interrogation drug being taken there.
Per their previous arrangements, Johnny pulls the fire alarm, drawing the guards away from Colette's room. While the guards find Johnny, Ray frees Colette and he sends her to ambulance parked in the back.
The guards take Johnny to the captain, who realizes that he's not Ray. Meanwhile, Tran leads Ray out and the guards take Johnny past. Tran fakes a heart attack and asks the guards for help, and Ray and Johnny knocks the two distracted guards out and run to the ambulance. Ling and Scarface arrive, and Ling greets his "friend" Tran. Tran realizes that Ling wants the Emperor for himself, and Ray starts to regain his vision. When Scarface cocks his gun, Ray attacks him and manages to holds his own. Tran starts up the ambulance and drives off, Ray and Johnny jumping aboard as the captain and his men arrive.
Later, the caskets of the dead soldiers are loaded onto a ship to be returned home. Ray, Colette, and Tran watch, and he tells Colette that she's accomplished more than she knows even though she didn't find her father alive. Johnny is there in uniform, and Ray goes over to him. When he says that he can see again, the blind Johnny says that he can, too, and then the two men hug.
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