A widowed Chinese immigrant faces the New Year with apprehension after it was foretold that it would be the year she would die. All of the things she wants to do before she dies come into focus, including seeing her daughter married and visiting China one last time to pay her respects.

The delicate spirit of Yasujirō Ozu’s domestic dramas lives on in Wayne Wang’s gentle portrait of a Chinese-American household unsettled by the tides of change. Words of love, care, and even grievance spill over mouth-watering family meals, where food becomes a conduit for cultural inheritance.