Joy's mother is a talented Morlum (Thai country) singer while her father is a talented flute player. They make beautiful music together, and pass their talent onto their oldest daughter, Joy. However, their music talents cannot pay the bills and the family of four (Joy has a younger sister as well) cannot pay their creditors. To make matters worse, Joy's father is slowly losing his eye sight. Seeing her family suffering in so much poverty, Joy's mother makes the decision to join a Morlum music performance and production group. She does this after running into an old friend who helps her connect with the group's manager. Joy's mother hopes to make enough money to send back to her family. However, her plans are spoiled when the group's manager not only notices her talent, but also her beauty. In his greed and lust, he rapes Joy's mother to both keep her with him as his woman and as his prized money-making singer. Years pass, Joy has grown up and graduated from school.