The Way We Are shares excerpts of stories from audio interviews with 4 queer Asian women: Katherine Chun, Wenda LI, Tamai Kobayashi and Nancy Seto. Told in the present-tense, these stories are arranged in a way that explores the past as the present and in doing so immersing viewers into the real-lived experiences from a different generation. This film was inspired by the intimacy of looking through a photo album with loved ones; there is something nostalgic about the materiality of handling photographs especially in this digital era where images are so increasingly ubiquitous. The act of sharing photos around a living room is a such physical and emotional reflection on the importance of community and family history.

Selma is a trans woman who built her life away from the family. One day she gets a call to go to her elderly mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's and needs treatment. In this encounter, lost in confused memories, the two women remember forgotten pains and desires, and revisit lost guilt and affection.