Chau Chet is an orphaned young man struggling to make his way as a gem miner in the Cambodian mountain town of Pailin in the 1920’s. Though he is taken under the wing of the kind-hearted mine owner, the owner’s proud and beautiful daughter Khun Neary—the Rose of Pailin—is not so sure about this very unusual worker. How can Chau Chet soften the heart of Khun Neary?