The pretty girl Lotus, who lives in the Wuyi mountains in the south of China, lost her husband just after their marriage. This causes several difficulties for the newly-widowed Lotus; the sadness of losing her husband, the misunderstanding from her father-in-law, and their dispute in dividing the family properties. Lotus has to deal with this all by herself and support the family. Her softness and virtuousness wins the love of a bus driver who is kind and honest, and of a quarry manager who is powerful and rich. This forces Lotus to make a decision.

Set in a Shandong village during the crucial Menglianggu Campaign between communists and nationalists in 1947, the film follows six women from various families as the (largely offscreen) civil war impacts their feudal existence.

A slim and capable girl, a beautiful girl, was robbed by bandits to a small town in the west and was rescued and taken in by an honest herdsman "cousin-in-law". The beautiful girl, who was like a jade, was soon spotted by the "cousin" concubine Tang San. However, on the eve of the wedding, the helpless Xiu girl slept on the bed, and the "cousin-in-law" came to her at this time. Because of his dark hatred of Tang San, he was attracted by Xiu Girl's beautiful face.