Set in Singapore, ILO ILO chronicles the relationship between a family of three and their newly arrived Filipino maid, Teresa, who has come like many other Filipino women in search of a better life.
The entire family needs to adapt to the presence of this stranger, which further threatens their already strained relationship. Still, Teresa and Jiale, the young and troublesome boy she cares for, soon form a bond. Their unique connection continues to develop and soon she becomes an unspoken part of the family.
But this is 1997 and the Asian Financial Crisis is starting to be felt in all the region…
家樂是個聰明卻調皮搗蛋被學校視為頭痛份子的小孩，懷孕的母親每天在公司和家事兩邊忙碌分身乏術的情況下，還會接到學校的抱怨電話總是相當無奈，最後只好找來菲律賓女傭泰莉來幫忙家事和照顧家樂。
一開始相當排斥泰莉的家樂利用各種機會欺負她，但是為了要養家活口的泰莉只能努力在這個家庭裡生存。家樂因為爸媽各自煩惱著自己的事情無暇關注他的情況下，讓家樂和泰莉兩人逐漸產生越來越深厚的感情，但是小小年紀的家樂卻沒有發現家庭風暴也日趨嚴重……
而這是1997年，亞洲金融危機正在悄悄影響這個國家……