Love in Sampan is the tale of an unfortunate young woman named Kiu. As she explains in the opening narration, she has known three men: Wah (a boy who worked in her family's shop), Chuen Wang (a local gang boss whom she is compelled to marry) and Man (a university student). But when she accidentally witnesses her best friend, Kim, fooling around with a man, Kiu's sexual curiosity is truly aroused ... and begins to grow.

Ching-yan lives with his young protege Tim and an inventor referred to only as The Doctor. One day they decide to embark on a quest to the Snowy Mountain in hopes of finding a special block of ice that is said to contain the life essence of immortality. The evil Devil King also wants the ice, but Ching-yan thinks that it contains the secret to meeting a woman who appears in his dreams and attempts to keep it for himself.

There is hidden passion galore as a plain middle aged house wife looks after her wheel chair bound husband who has lost interest in sex. Her young slutty niece, who dresses provocatively wearing thigh high boots, comes to stay with them. There is a nerdy young neighbour who lusts after our Mrs Robinson and of course the ubiquitous local shop keeper who lusts after our young hero for some unknown reason and is a chunky Korean looking actress. The movie is set in the boondocks of HK away from the picturesque city towers that we come to associate with all HK crime melodramas and moves toward ts inevitable finale.