Mr. Cao Goes to Washington maps the twisted road that is American politics from the unique viewpoint of Joseph Cao, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the U.S. Congress. Following Cao's political trajectory as a congressman representing a predominantly black New Orleans district from the beginning of his first campaign to his struggles for reelection, the film is an absorbing character study of an idealist who must learn to deal with the realities of racial and partisan politics in the South, while not losing sight of his own beliefs. As the only nonwhite Republican in Congress-and as a Republican representing a Democratic district-Cao offers a singular perspective.