A poor but brilliant rural student, Tang Xiaolin, gains admission to a prestigious university. His disabled father sells their only donkey to fund Xiaolin’s education. Upon arriving in the city, Xiaolin is scammed out of his tuition and beaten while searching for the fraudsters. Fate connects him with a wealthy businessman’s son. Meanwhile, unaware of his struggles, Xiaolin’s worried parents, despite their disabilities, set out to find him when they learn he hasn’t attended school.

Shanghai, 1932. The main part of city occupied by Japanese troops. Ten Miles Square has become a small oasis surrounded by lonely darkness. Sun Timbo, the best cheongsam master in region, is hired to sew the kimono for the Japanese Governor's First Lady.