AllMovie

A young woman opens a modest coffee shop that quickly becomes something much more than she ever expected in this gentle comedy drama from director Hsiao Ya-Chuan. When Doris receives a sizable inheritance from her emigrating aunt, she uses the funds to realize her dream of opening a coffee shop. Later, when the shop opens for business, all of Doris' friends turn up bearing gifts of good luck. But while Doris becomes overwhelmed by all the junk that now litters her shop, her younger sister Josie has the inspired idea to turn what was once just a typical coffee shop into an exchange store with something for everyone. If customers come in with something to trade, they can take whatever they please of equal value. When a customer shows up seeking to unload 35 bars of scented soap, he agrees to tell Doris the story behind each individual bar, gradually revealing his true purpose for coming to the shop in the process.