The film is adapted from the section "The Intelligent Conquest of Wuhushan" in Qu Bo's novel of the same name, telling the story of the People's Liberation Army's campaign to eliminate the bandit forces composed of remnants of the Kuomintang that were entrenched in Northeast China.

The story of a village amidst the winds of change, with Aunt Guo a female member of the Communist Party as the center. This multi-level display of Chinese farmers of different thinking style and perplexing relationships, reflects some of the major changes in China's rural areas from land reform to the people's commune being established in this historical stage.