Noi runs a rural bar and guesthouse called the Paradise Hotel. He tends bar and arm wrestles any challengers. The hotel, which has only one room, already has a guest, a man named Chana. Chana is annoyed that the hotel plays host to various musical groups, including a man who sings European opera, another man who practices the trombone, a Peking opera troupe, a Filipina ballad singer and a brass band that accompanies two bare-knuckles boxers. A young woman named Riam arrives and attempts to check in, only to be told that the one room is already occupied. The reasons for Chana's stay at the hotel are mysterious, and Riam is equally enigmatic, stating her age at 65 years old, saying she has a dozen children and is an opium trader.