An old leper who owned a remote sorghum winery dies. Jiu'er, the wife bought by the leper, and her lover, identified only as "my Grandpa" by the narrator, take over the winery and set up an idealized quasi-matriarchal community headed by Jiu'er. When the Japanese invaders subject the area to their rule and cut down the sorghum to make way for a road, the community rises up and resists as the sorghum grows anew.

An old postman has spent his whole life delivering mail to the mountain of Hunan and is about to retire, his only son due to take over his duties.

Rookie policeman Tai Lin yearned to be an artist before he failed an examination and followed in his father's footsteps. One day he interrupts an apparent suicide attempt by a woman standing on the edge of a bridge.

In 1990s China, a dock worker's murder sparks a major manhunt for a crime boss known as the Wise One. Detective Yan Gao leads the covert operation, enlisting port guard Ye for nighttime surveillance. As Ye juggles secrecy, a strained romance, and rising tensions, the lines between duty and personal life begin to blur.

After the Korean War, General Feng Shi leads a heroic army into the Gobi Desert on a mission from the Central Committee. At the same time, scientist Lu Guangda returns from the U.S. and says goodbye to his wife. As talented individuals from scientific institutions join the effort, they face harsh conditions—scarce resources, outdated technology, and frequent natural disasters—but work together toward a common goal.