In a transitioning 1980s China, an ambitious young man struggles with life choices represented by two women; one from his traditional, poverty-stricken peasant background, and another who offers a more affluent, modern urban life.
This is a tragedy that occurs in modern China. By a vivid description of the frustrated life story of Gao Jialin, a high school graduate who is first dismissed from teaching post and then enrolled as a journalist in the city and finally dismissed from the post and become a farmer again, this movie presents the young man as a serious issue of how to deal with their life.