The Head of Southern Stone Village, Lee Ba-hung bullies others with his power. Yet he has no knowledge that his niece Lee Chun-hong is actually the Black Heroine who confronts him. It turns out that Chun-hong's father is fearful that Ba-hung would bully the mother and daughter of Chun-hong, hence he has disguised Chun-hong with woman attires. Chun-hong's identity is unveiled when she devotes herself to helping the refugees of a disaster by distributing food and emergency supplies. Ba-hung would like to murder Chung-hong by hanging, yet it ends in him being killed by his followers.

Adapted from a popular 'three dime novel' the story revolves around two down-and-out buddies, one streetwise and quick-witted the other naïve and kind-hearted. This oddball duo go through up and downs and eventually get their break in life.

Chor Yuen started his directorial career with a bang. From its very first image, The Natural Son establishes Chor as a filmmaker of stylistic flourish, which would be sustained in various forms throughout his long tenure. Adapted from '30 cents' pulp fiction, it is a Kong Ngee melodrama made in the studio's mould, with Westernised characters and trendy middle-class lifestyles. Yet, Chor's first film is not exempt from the social urgency that characterises the Cantonese cinema of his father, Cheung Wood-yau. The film cloaks its entertainment in a moral deliberation on blood ties, its story about the raising of a bastard child a head-on challenge of archaic family values. An ostentatious start for a colourful and eventful career.

Hak-ming heads the Ko Family, but he and his brothers, Hak-ting and Hak-on, and the second wife of the late Master Ko quarrel. Young Cousin Mui, who has tuberculosis, is forced by to marry an older woman. Kok-sun is guilty of being unable to stop the marriage. Sun and maid Chui-wan are wary of their feelings for each other due to class difference. Cousin Mui dies of illness. Hak-ting has his eyes on Wan. His wife, Wong, complains to their daughter, Shuk-ching, who cannot take it and commits suicide. Wong blames herself for her death. Undergone these tragedies, Cousin Kam's mother let Kam have a modern wedding with Kok-man. When Ming is ill, Ting and On want to sell the ancestral home. Hak-ming dies of angst. When the fifth uncle of Sun forces Wan to be his concubine, Wan tries to kill herself but is intercepted by Sun. Pressurised by people of the house over the issue of inheritance, Sun protests by declaring his love for Wan and leaves the family, with his mother, brother Man and Wan.

In order to bring about the return of a prodigal son, Hoi Yau-lung asks his fiancee Fa Sau-lan to administer 'the beauty ruse' to trick his cousin Wan Kam-cheung into squandering all his money. When Wan is reduced to penury, he encounters his wife Suk-ching and learns from her the whole story. Wan realises his faults and resolves to turn over a new leaf.

The film depicts the lives of Guangdong peasants who have gone through the suffering of the Sino-Japanese War only to experience home-grown oppression by a rapacious landlord in their village.

Chan Sai-wah abides by his late father's word and marries the wealthy Yam Suk-kuen. They have a son, Kwok-leung. Though Wah is manager of the hotel owned by his father-in-law, Kuen is not a good wife. For all the years of their marriage, Wah has never been happy. Attracted to the humble and honest Carrie Mui, Wah decides to leave his domineering wife Kuen, but is stopped by his father-in-law. The lovers set off to Macau for a new start. Their life has become increasingly miserable under the pressure from Yam's family. When Wah leaves to seek help from his son in Hong Kong, Carrie decides she should leave so that Wah can go without feeling any guilt or burden. On the other hand, Wah is too ashamed to face his son, and returns to Macau. He lives his life in misery. Years pass, the lovers meet again. Wah is reduced to begging in the streets while Carrie becomes an opera diva.

Though her marriage with rich businessman Chan Hak-lit is crumbling, Anna Poon refuses to accept her childhood sweetheart Wong Kei-shu's courtship. Anna's younger sister Mei-na has a crush on Shu and treats Lee Man coldly. When she sees Anna being with Shu, she taunts Anna with stealing who she likes. Anna is hurt and goes back to Chan's house. Chan holds a house party and invites business celebrities. Shu attends it and when tells Anna he loves her when they dance. Anna rejects him and tells him never to see her again. Chan goes to the racecourse. When Shu falls down from a horse, Anna faints. Chan asks Anna what her relationship with Shu is. He warns her not to have any wrongdoing and ruin his reputation. Shu is fine and asks Anna to meet for the last time. Anna cannot turn down him and goes to meets him. Lit miscomprehends the situation and files a divorce. He even forbids Anna to see their daughter. A distressed Anna becomes a victim of love in a conservative society.

An opera troupe has to dissolve in view of the poor economy. Comedian star Sang Kwai-lei loses his job and he has no alternative but to play the lion character in the opera troupe of his former junior apprentice Chan Hau and pawn his stage costume. He aims at earning enough money to support the final year's secondary school studies of his elder son Chi-kuen. Kuen however refuses to continue his studies, seeing that his father has to put aside his dignity to earn money and his mother is worried. Lei is enraged and uses the money to support his younger son Chi-wai's studies. Again, Lei loses his job and he resorts to giving street performances, his wife takes up sowing work in her spare time and she dies after a long illness. Kuen works to support himself through school, but Wai is less fortunate, he is forced to enrol in an opera troupe as an apprentice. Years later, the dying father joyfully embraces Chi-kuen's return from his studies.

Cheung framed Chan For. Chan orders his wife not to tell this to their children, Ah Lan and Hung. His wife passes away. On her deathbed, she asked a neighbour, To Chung-man, to take care of her children. Claiming to be a good friend of their father, Chan For moves in to the bed next to Ah Lan to take care of his children. Hung likes this uncle because he always treats him generously. But Ah Lan finds "Uncle For" weird and enthusiastic. Ah Lan is forced to pay her mother's debt. Hung is suffering from acute appendicitis. To solve Ah Lan's financial problem, Chung-man returns to his rich family and accept an arranged marriage. Ah Lan decides to sell herself to the construction site foreman for one night. Chan For wants to stop his daughter from making this deal, so he agrees to work for Cheung again. The next day he carries out a robbery and is caught. Ah Lan and Chung-man visit him in jail, and hold their wedding ceremony in front of him. He looks forward to the days when he returns.