When a Texas-trained Chinese doctor gets cold feet about her upcoming marriage in China and escapes to a Colorado ski town over Christmas break, she must weigh the disapproval of her parents against a new nonconformist love and the acceptance she gains from an irreverent group of snowboarders and townsfolk. 

SYNOPSIS:

HUI "DOC" GAO M.D. (29), whose Chinese beauty is only enhanced by occasionally wearing “Princess gowns” in public, rides a Greyhound bus to Colorado, in the opposite direction of the Austin airport and her marriage in China. Hui doesn't know she is being followed and photographed. A redneck passenger dives at her grandfather's medical bag thinking it’s “suspicious,” spilling the contents. Hui bursts into tears. She never fit in at med school, she's $200,000 in debt, she's never dated, and she's not pleasing her parents. An ever-smiling, somewhat-awkward farmer, SAMMY (23), comforts Hui, and convinces her to spend Christmas Break in the ski town of Breckenridge with his college-grad friends. Hui, having never seen snow, just wants to get as far away as possible from her upset parents and fiancé in Beijing. However, her few days in the mountains is anything but a winter vacation.

Hui finds there is no room at the inn. She's stuck with Sammy and his three roommates in a dump of a house. BURNER (28), a fearless American snowboarder, parties like there's no tomorrow. SOCCER (25) is a gay Belizean bartender who has a title for her novel and little else. OLLIE (34) is a professional freestyle skier at the end of her run. Hui must quickly learn to reach outside her comfort zone to survive. Over the next three days, Hui excels at a local doctor's office, adapts to the western custom of shaking hands and hugging, frequents a bar (without drinking), and befriends her wild roomies, who remain suspicious of their new Chinese friend and adulthood.

As Hui learns she is tailed by a private investigator, her parents visit Breckenridge to bring their daughter home. WEI GAO (54), a successful divorce lawyer, and his wife, LILLY (47) see the family torn apart. And now Hui is in love with the irresponsible snowboarder, Burner!

When a quietly-gay policewoman, CINDY (35) forces Burner to quit drinking and performs community service teaching disabled kids to snowboard, many lives are changed. Hui smiles more than ever. She finally comes of age on a real date. Her new friends mature, too. Cindy openly gravitates to Soccer, and Ollie and Sammy courageously move on from their ski-bum lifestyles.

Still, Hui's culture leans towards conformity and obedience, and she surrenders to her parent's wishes. Hui is about to return to Beijing to get married, when Burner transforms into the man of her dreams by helping children with disabilities. When Hui finds out her fiancé arranged for the private investigator, she reaches a turning point. It's a heartwarming story of gaining tolerance, respect, and acceptance in the world, two people at a time.

BECOMING WE (W/ CHINESE FEMALE LEAD)