In the early 1990s when the Chinese men's table tennis team is at a low ebb, head coach Cai Zhenhua is tasked with forming a new team to finally fight to the top at the 1995 World Ping Championship in Tianjin, China.

A married village worker teams up with an old girlfriend to try to dig a well for his water-starved village. The well collapses and they are trapped. Their enforced confinement leads to them exploring their feelings for each other and those around them.

Set in the Shaanxi province of Northern China, In The Wild Mountains is a simple yet insightful tale of village life and how economic changes in the country affect even the most remote regions.

Writer Gao moves into a new apartment neighboring rude Zhang and his wife. The Zhangs have already forced four neighbor families to leave for different disputes. Now they are clashing with cadre Liu because of a dog issue.