Human tragedy in contemporary China, awarded with the Prize for Best Director at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. Seventeen years ago: a poor family finds itself destined to misfortune because of the rivalry between two foster-sisters. To school friends, Tao Lan and Yu Xiaoqin could not be more different. Tao Lan is hard, with the behavior typical to a teenager. Yu Xiaoqin is a keen student, but somewhat pretentious. They have only two things in common: the one small room they share, and a desire to leave home.

     Tao Lan's mother and Yu Xiaoqin's father do not devote equal attention to the girls. Each one upholds and is proud of their respective daughters, exacerbating the unhealthy competition between them. One day, Yu Xiaoqin steals money from her father and casts the blame on Tao Lan. Irritated at the foul play, Tao Lan calls her sister to talk it out far from home, but loses control and hits Yu Xiaoqin on the head with a piece of bamboo. Tragedy is inevitable. One sister dies, and another goes to prison.

      Seventeen years later: Tao Lan returns home on a week-end visit. Se re-encounters mother and stepfather, and is witness to a moment of great pain and emotional frailty. She knows that she has become a stranger in this world outside the prison.