Stamford Hospital

Tarisa is at her wit's end when Mia's coughs disrupt sleep. The ambitious woman had not envisioned a long-term life in Singapore as a full-time parent. When Chris had declared their permanent home here without warning-just months into their marriage-Tarisa had begrudgingly succumbed, unable to fight his reason: being an Asian man in the US was difficult; in Singapore, he felt free. Hospitalizing Mia, Tarisa reflects on this marriage. Chris has become a man she barely knows, especially as a romantic partner. He is unable to experience lust. As a father to Mia, however, Chris is close to perfect. Tarisa uses Mia's warded time to linger in the library and to attend dance classes and performances-what an "ordinary" mother wouldn't do. Yet, for her, these spaces unlock rippling thoughts that confront the demons of her own motherhood and the grief of vowing her life to a man who does not respond to her body. When she finally returns to the hospital, Chris springs on Tarisa a drug that could reverse his asexuality, but choosing it isn't such an easy choice.