A Story of Soil looks at two young Australians trying to forge an identity that acknowledges both Vietnamese and Australian values. Tien is torn between her loyalties to her parents and a desire to assert her identity. She runs away with Simon, her troubled boyfriend, to the Australian bush. Tien’s brother, Jonathan, is drawn into violence to assert his masculinity in a society which does not value being Asian. Meanwhile Quynh and Hieu, their parents, must reassess where they are now.