The Rocket

During the birth, Taitok declares that one twin is cursed and must die. Mali refuses to kill the surviving child, believing him blessed. The truth is kept secret from Toma.

Seven years later, Ahlo learns that a dam project will flood his valley. Taitok reveals to Toma that Ahlo is a twin and that 'he should have died', confirming the curse. The family keeps this truth hidden from Toma.

The dam project is announced and villagers will be relocated as the valley floods. They begin moving through the woods with their boat, but the ropes snap and the boat crashes into Mali, killing her.

Mali dies in the boating accident that marks the family's first great tragedy. Taitok then reveals that Ahlo is a twin and that he should have died, labeling him cursed.

After Mali's burial, the family boards a bus toward a new village where they hope to start anew. Taitok despises the new village's running water and electricity, which she sees as erasing their traditions.

Ahlo meets Kia, a girl who has lost her entire family to malaria, and Purple, her uncle who loves James Brown. Kia offers Ahlo a place to grow mangoes, a gesture he hopes will honor his mother.

Ahlo's anger leads him to destroy Toma's model house, symbolizing his family's tension and broken dreams. He bonds with Kia and Purple and learns that the hydro bosses control the village's promised electricity.

That night, Ahlo sneaks out to hook up electricity for the people, hoping to relieve their hardship. The plan backfires and causes a blackout for most of the village, sparing Kia and Purple's home.

In a moment of defiance, Ahlo desecrates a sacred shrine. In retaliation, the village burns their house and belongings.

The family, Kia, and Purple flee in a cart loaded with undetonated bombs from the war, traveling for days through dangerous terrain. They join a parade of travelers as they seek a new home.

They reach Purple's village, which they call Paradise, and find it seems empty. Ahlo and Kia sneak into the woods to play; a near mishap with a bomb underscores the danger surrounding them.

A parade of travelers mentions a rocket competition with a cash prize. Believing it could end their displacement, Ahlo decides to build a rocket despite his family’s skepticism.

Purple helps Ahlo collect bat droppings in a cave to fuel the rocket, and Ahlo encounters a wary woman who fears he is evil. The exploration adds peril to the rocket-building journey.

The rocket festival begins and others launch their rockets, and Ahlo's family is skeptical about The Bat's chances. Toma launches his own rocket, Lucky, while the rival rocket The Million wins by reaching the clouds.

The Bat finally takes off, explodes inside a cloud, and rains down, bringing life to the valley. Ahlo wins the ten million kip prize and is no longer considered cursed, as rain answers his wish.