During the Vietnam War, a CIA field agent becomes addicted to the adrenaline rush of combat. Now, thirty years later, this need for the rush collides with his attempt to resurrect the old pipelines for China White from the Golden Triangle. This interplay forces two men who were enemies during the war-an ex-Marine and an ex-North Vietnamese soldier-to work together when this highly potent form of heroin brings death and destruction to their community. For Shane Wilson, the ex-Marine drug counselor, the introduction of China White not only has devastating consequences for his clients, but tears open old wounds and calls into question a nightmare from the war that he assumed until now was not based on reality. China White highlights the emotional ties that bind the Vietnamese American community and Vietnam veterans, and the lingering wounds and unspoken myths from that war.