Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell follows Thien (Lê Phong Vũ), a lonely thirtysomething living in Saigon after moving from his rural mountain village, as he embarks on a journey back to his hometown in rural Vietnam to pay final respects to a deceased loved one with his young, orphaned nephew (Nguyễn Thịnh). Along the way, he reconnects with old friends and family, including an old man who fought in the Vietnam War and his childhood friend who has become a nun.