A mining engineer acting as a technical translator is suspected of industrial espionage after sending an innocent telegram that is intercepted by a militant snoop. Placed under investigation and reassigned to a less sensitive department, but never informed of the reason for his demotion, he petitions to get his job back, sparking an increasingly obtuse series of Party meetings.

During the Anti-Japanese War Dong Yuming, a company commander of the Kuomintang, was ordered to escort a batch of anti-Japanese munitions to Nanjing, and the munitions arrived safely at their destination. Dong Yuming was awarded the "Blue Sky and White Sun" medal by his superiors. However, when he learned that it was not arms but smuggled goods that had gone through hardships, he started an investigation in order to prove his innocence. When the truth came to light, Dong Yuming faced a fateful decision...