Set in a remote mountainous region of southern China, the film is about a Hani tribe girl, Ruoma (Li Min) who dreams of seeing the outside world. Ruoma lives with her grandma and sells roasted corn in a market for fifty cents an ear. Beautifully attired in Hani ethnic clothing, she by chance catches the eye of a penniless photographer, Aming (Yang Zhigang). They soon becoming friends and he gets the idea of making money by having her pose with tourists beside a famous World Heritage site. Charging ten yuan per photo, they hope to make some money. Ruoma does her job well, sweetly smiling with the tourists while dreaming of going to the big city and riding in a glass elevator. She also falls in love with Aming.

The year is 1913. Two Poles escape exile and cross the Siberian taiga to China. Crossing the Amur River ends tragically for one of them. The surviving man, unconscious, is found by an old Chinese hunter who takes him to his mountain shack. The hunter has a beautiful, sixteen year old daughter. Not to tempt fortune, the parents make the girl cut her hair and dress like a boy. But is it enough to prevent feelings from arising between the two?