Her father grew up in a quiet village near Angkor Wat and served in the Cambodian army during the civil war. As the Khmer Rouge gained power, he found himself caught between survival and execution — not only as a soldier, but as a musician, a role deemed “dangerous” by a regime that sought to erase creativity, intellect, and identity.

Pol Pot’s obsession with Maoist ideology and radical communism led to a horrifying attempt to reset Cambodia to “Year Zero” — wiping out modern society, murdering artists, teachers, and anyone with glasses. Over 2 million people were killed. Seak’s father lived through it. This is his story — and hers.