When a family emergency effectively upends her world, Vanessa finds herself filled with a shameful reluctance to discuss her fears with her friends and family. Realizing that many in her Asian American community also suffer in silence, she embarks on a documentary journey to ask her friends how they grapple with their deep emotional wounds. In trying to decipher Vanessa's own struggle with depression, The Laundromat addresses the Asian American imperative -- "Don't air your dirty laundry" -- and examines the possible reasons why Asian Americans suffer the highest rates of suicide and depression.