Director Ren's grandmother suffered from depression during the Cultural Revolution as her husband was jailed and tortured. Although the Cultural Revolution ended almost half a century ago, the trauma left behind still affects three generations of this family.

Inspired by Haining shadow puppetry, one of China’s first designated Intangible Cultural Heritage arts, the film follows Da Jiang, a humble performer in the Kunqu opera troupe "Wufeng Ban," secretly in love with his fellow performer Tianyin, who is betrothed to their senior, Changhong. Gifted with a sensitivity to light and shadow, Da Jiang discovers an old box containing shadow puppets and a script of The Tale of Hibiscus, which ignites his artistic passion. When Changhong loses his voice before a major farewell performance, Da Jiang steps in, winning Tianyin's gratitude. But rumors spread after she is seen attending his shadow puppet show, and Da Jiang leaves in silence to avoid conflict. Tianyin and Changhong go to Shanghai, while Da Jiang retreats to Yanguan Town, living aboard an abandoned boat and vowing to revive the once-glorious art of Haining shadow puppetry. There, he founds his own troupe: “Jianghai Ban.”