Qiao Yan, born in a border town in southwest China, becomes a star actress after much effort and struggle. But despite her aura of glamour, she always feels hidden pressure. When she receives a threatening anonymous letter, her long-estranged sister suddenly comes to see her.

When internationally acclaimed artist Mo Ke announces that he is selling his prized painting, "The Falling Feather", and that he will donate all the proceeds from its sale to a small Yunnan town, everyone in the art world is puzzled and intrigued. Why is he doing this? To answer this question we are transported 20 years into the past, to when a young unknown painter visited Yunnan and was captivated and inspired not only by the beauty of the location, but by a young woman... with a feather in her hair.

The story of a widowed old man living by the Green Lake in Kunming, trying to heal the emotional trauma of three generations and rebuild family ties.