In the early 1990s, Xiaolei, who lives in a small village in western China, longs for a summer holiday without homework after he graduated from primary school. However, it is filled with boring routine, and Xiaolei feels the anxiety around him. When his father has left, Xiaolei realises that his life is completely changed.

Liu Hong once worked at a film studio, but now he is idle at home. One by one, his old neighbors moved away; the former workplace is to be demolished and rebuilt into a business district; his close friend passed away unexpectedly. All these things have plunged him into life’s troubles. Just as he and his wife decided to move out of their old residence, his wife got injured accidentally — this incident changed him and reignited his motivation for life.