Wu Qionghua, a house maid, is abused by a cruel warlord until she joins a troop of women soldiers.

After a fierce battle in the plains of Gansu, two injured survivors, a young trumpeter and a girl of the Woman Pioneers, wander in search of their comrades. They are eventually joined by an Yugur girl who has lost her family.

This simple romance story does not mean much to westerners, and in fact, does not even mean anything to Chinese today, but it was a big thing when it was made, not long after the end of Cultural Revolution in which even the personal romance was restricted. This movie is one of the pioneers of personal liberalization in advocating people seeking out their love following their own hearts, not from other people.