In the early 1990s when the Chinese men's table tennis team is at a low ebb, head coach Cai Zhenhua is tasked with forming a new team to finally fight to the top at the 1995 World Ping Championship in Tianjin, China.

Based on Pu Songling's fairy tale. Beijing official Chang Zaitian has not been to his native Luzhi Village for seven years. After an unexpected return, Chang is horrified to learn that his beloved girlfriend was killed by robbers shortly after his departure for capital exams. Suffering from a broken heart Chang meets the next day a girl named Ah Yu who looks the same as Miss Cao in his old house. During the short time they spend together Chang Zaitian feels that she is the shadow of Miss Cao. At the same time, strange things keep happening in the village, and the sorcerer, Taoist Sang, keeps saying that the village is haunted by evil spirits.