Korea, 1943. Hane is sixteen. She has never left her native island of Jeju; she was born and raised under Japanese occupation. She belongs to the haenyeo—women of the sea, divers. Her younger sister can’t wait for the day when she, too, will become a haenyeo. The two girls are happy in their small idyllic world by the ocean—until fate separates them one day, sending Hane to foreign lands and preparing harsh trials for her. But women of the sea are strong and stubborn, and Hane doesn’t give up hope of finding her home someday.
South Korea, 2011. For more than sixty years, Amy has tried to forget what happened to her and her sister in childhood. But at the end of her life, to come to terms with herself, she must face the past and remember everything. Perhaps she’ll even find her sister.
“White Chrysanthemum” is a dramatic and touching story of two sisters separated by war—whose love for each other is so strong it can withstand even war.