A married couple living in a desolate small town in post-WWII China are paid a surprise visit by an old friend of the husband's.

In the spring of 1949, a war is about to happen between the Liberation Army and Kuomintang Army on the Yangtze River. The Liberation Army dispatches a reconnaissance to scout the southern parts of the River, whose work is actually full of hardships and dangers. However, with the help of the local crowd and the guerrillas, finally, the members of the reconnaissance succeed in the commission and offer valuable information to the Liberation Army, making great contributions in the war.

In a small village in China's Yunnan province, the romance between Ashima and Ahei is threatened by the interference of the heir to a powerful clan.

The events that take place on a city bus taken daily by workers, students, intellectuals, housewives and schoolchildren are depicted, and the lives of the two conductors, a hard-working young woman and an impatient and lazy man are contrasted.

A family split between Taiwan and the mainland.