With the Vietnam War as its background, "While the Mother is Away" follows the story of a mother and her five children living in the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam. The oldest of the five children is ten years old and she is expected to look after her family when her mother participates in operations for the resistance. The daughter knows her mother is a guerrilla and is constantly worried that she will not return to her family. However, she puts these emotions aside and raises her siblings to the best of her ability. This film is a mixture of sadness and love.