Tonlé Sap is Cambodia's biggest freshwater lake and, as one of the world's most complex and rich ecosystems, the region has always been of central importance for Cambodia's food supply. And it is running dry. Natural causes and human activity has pushed the lake into dangerous decline, threatening its forests and fish.

The lake gives employment to many in the region. Besides fishing, it is a prominent tourist destination thanks to its proximity to the temples of Angkor Wat. While most local villagers don't benefit from the big tourist companies operating in the area, some local women operate small boats and take travelers around the mangroves. This way they are able to directly support their households.

In 2017 the cumulative forest loss in the region was 34%. Fires, often lit deliberately to clear land for agriculture, have further reduced the flooded forest. With significant habitat loss, there is fewer fish. Many abandon their boats and fishing and turn to farm, growing chili, and other crops.

Along the north shore of Tonlé Sap is Kampong Phluk, a village consisting of stilted and floating houses that move with the water levels. Most residents here are ethnic Vietnamese. They are stateless, as they are neither citizens of Cambodia nor of Vietnam. Marginalized in society they face significant barriers in accessing education, health care, formal employment, banking services, and freedom of movement. They don't have the legal right to buy land and own property, that's why they live on the water (a legal loophole) in fragile homes, where they survive thanks to fishing and some tourism income. The water provides them home yet also isolation and alienation.