In search of quick cash, Lan traveled to the United States on a tourist visa and began working at a karaoke parlor as a hostess. The money she earns here is equivalent to what she would make in a year in Taiwan. Throughout her time there, she declined any requests for "special service." One day, she received a call from the hospital informing her that her mother had passed away. She had come to the U.S. to save her, but she wasn’t able to be with her in her final moments."