In this new version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, a young lady named Mei-li flees to America in the late 1950's when her father, a Chinese opera master, falls under persecution from the Communist government. Arriving in San Francisco, she finds work in a run-down Chinese opera house where the patriarch, Master Wang, struggles to keep old traditions alive, while his American-born son Ta dreams of converting the space into a Western-style nightclub. With the help of a leggy showgirl and her fast-talking agent, Ta's wish comes true; they discover success by turning the old theatre into a popular new nightspot, Club Chop Suey.