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.

Vagabond singer Ali is embroiled in a dispute over love and is compelled to return to his own country. Ali is mistaken for the future queen's consort and chances to meet her majesty Law Yee. Law falls head over heels for Ali and they get married not long after. However, Ali finds royal formalities unbearable and decides to run away from the palace. Disregarding all rules, Law follows her man to wherever he goes.

Reporter Yu Mong-yuen is recovering from a leg injury in his fiancee Man-wah's apartment. Bored, he looks out the rear window and observes the life of the neighbouring building. Among the tenants are a sugar-daddy and his mistress, a middle-aged man wants to marry a young girl, but she is in love with his son. Finally, she hatches a plot and makes the man agree to her marrying his son ; a sly fortune-teller ; a lively gym, a rich widow quarrels with the trainer of a gymnasium because his dog has bitten her cat ; and an opera school, a woman signs, leaning on the balcony, and a man tries to strangle her. In fact they are rehearsing an opera…… One evening, Wah is on the night shift, and Yuen watches the opera troupe rehearse to the end. Under the influence of drugs, Yu mistakenly believes that a divorced man has murdered a taxi dancer. He alerts the police, but the whole thing is nothing more than a misunderstanding.

Ah Hing is made pregnant by her master Fan Chun-kit. Fan soon leaves for his studies overseas while Ah Hing suffers gross prosecution and is reduced to becoming a prostitute. In a momentary slip of a struggle, Ah Hing commits manslaughter. Now a qualified lawyer, Fan acquits Ah Hing of the charge, and intends to marry her to redeem his negligence in the past. Ah Hing, however, is determined to pursue an independent life.

Kam Fan and Wong Ching-ping have a peaceful married life, until Ping's mother is serious ill. They desperately need a large amount of money. Fan tries in vain to raise money, he thus intends to use their daughter's school fees for the medical fees. Ping is against it and works as a song girl to earn money for her mother's medical expense. Her grudging husband Kam Fan uses a bed sheet to partition the bedroom into halves and even demands a divorce. After some mediation by their lawyer and neighbours, Wong finds a teaching job at an orphanage, but Fan still opposes it. Ping is so angry that she moves to live in the dormitory of the orphanage. Fan has to look after their daughter alone, making everything a mess. Later, their daughter catches a cold and has a high fever after an outing with Fan. Ping cannot set her mind at rest and goes home to take care of her daughter. The loving couple reconciles, for the sake of their daughter.

Cold Nights features great performances by both Pak Yin as a tough minded “new woman”, Shusheng, and Ng Cho-fan as her weak husband, Wang Wenxuan, whose spirits have been crushed by the Sino-Japanese war.

Songstress Mui Yee-wah falls head over heels for painter Wai Tik-fung despite their age difference. Because Wai is a married man, Mui's mother is against the match. Mui falls ill from grief. Rich heir Siu Kar-wai seizes the chance to successfully propose to Mui. However, Siu is unable to let go of Mui's past. In a fit of anger, he fires a deadly shot at Wai.

Crime of Passion in the Mansion