Sang Ly and her family reside in a one room cardboard hut on the grounds of Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in Cambodia.  Sang Ly and her husband Ki Lim are waste pickers who make their living sifting through trash for recyclables and things which can be repaired.  The items they collect are sold to pay rent and buy food and buy medicine for their chronically ill sixteen-month-old son Nisay.

One day while Ki was picking, he was gifted with a rare find from another picker.  Amongst the trash, was an illustrated children's book in good condition; which he gave Ki to take home to Nisay.  At home, Sang can only look at the pictures with Nisay as she has never been taught to read.  Shortly after, Sopeap Sin, Stung Meanchey's bitter rent collector, stops by and demands their rent payment.  Sang is unable to pay the full amount which causes Sopeap to threaten her with eviction and tell her that there are plenty of families waiting to move into the hut.  Sopeap's mood suddenly changes when she notices the children's book on Sang's cardboard bed.  Sopeap picked up the book and started reading through its pages silently.  Sang saw the positive impact the book had on Sopeap's demeanor, so she decided to give it to her as a gift.  Sopeap leaves silently with the book, but later returns to inform her that the unpaid rent had been forgiven as thanks for the book.  An unlikely friendship develops between the two ladies as Sopeap teaches Sang how to read.  Sang's learning to read creates new opportunities for her and her family, but the revelation of Sopeap's secret is what will take them on a life changing journey.​

The Rent Collector is a story of hope as it demonstrates the power of literacy to transcend circumstances.  Although this story has been fictionalized, it is inspired by a real family that did live in Stung Meanchey.  The municipal waste dump known as Stung Meanchey still exists today and is home to countless families like Sang Ly's.