Until shortly after World War Two, Asian immigrants to America werent allowed to bring their wives and daughters with them. The law was then relaxed to allow Chinese-American servicemen to bring home native brides.
Eat A Bowl Of Teas hero Ben Loy (Russell Wong) is one such. In 1949 he returns to New Yorks Chinatown with his new bride Mei Oi (Cora Miao). Unfortunately for the couple, much of the communitys hopes and dreams for the future are invested in them; their marriage must not only be seen to be successful, it must also produce a whole bunch of children - thus ensuring the survival of their community.