In Vietnam, centuries of blood and fire forged an indomitable spirit with an exquisitely tender heart, which survived by seeking refuge in wisdom and beauty. Nourished and empowered by a profound relationship with nature and its forces, the heart of Vietnam touched the highest realms of knowledge and artistic expression, illuminating what is best in humanity and nature in the face of all that is worst.

Now, in the age of mobile phones and motor scooters, how will her heart keep warm? In the shadow of modernization, the currency of wisdom and beauty loses luster. Without the deluge of adversity to drive us to the higher ground, only love and discipline will take us there.

LOTUS & LIGHTNING explores the world of ordinary people in Vietnam whose extraordinary love for her beauty and discipline in their traditional artistic and spiritual practices make them heroes in the preservation of her greatest treasures.