A pancake vendor is mistaken for a hero of the Boxers.

At a 1930s swimming match, a Chinese champion is forced to lose to his American rival. Later, the Chinese champion's son, another potential champion, is torn between the rigours of training and the lure of romance.

During the early War of Resistance Against Japan in Baiyangdian, Hebei, the Yanling Squad, led by Communist Party member Hei Lao Cai, conducted effective guerrilla warfare. Yang Xiaomei, fleeing abuse from her husband Zhang Jinlong, joined the squad and developed feelings for farmer Niu Dashi. Zhang Jinlong, unable to change, defected to the Japanese. As Japanese sweep operations intensified, Xiaomei, Dashi, and Zhang Jinlong faced different paths in the conflict.

Militiaman in Lü Liang Shan actively organize to fight enemies.

Yi Ru is falsely accused of being a rightist in the People's Republic of China and severs all connections with his family.

Orphan Xiao Song is wounded in the Japanese attack that kills his parents and after recovering he joins the army and becomes an excellent soldier.

In Liujiajiao Village, a border area in Shanxi, during the Anti-Japanese War, Xiao Erhei attempts to marry Xiaoqin, despite opposition from various conniving locals.