Divided into three segments. The first opens in Shanghai's pre-WWII heyday. Starstruck, Mo, falls for the slick patter of talent scout "Boss" Meng about becoming a movie star. Though Meng makes good on his promise, he also gets Mo pregnant. Despite her burgeoning career, Mo refuses to have an abortion, moving back home to face recriminations from her mother and other more dire consequences. In the second part, Communist China is in full swing in the late '50s and the still movie-obsessed Mo has to contend with the socialist zeal of her daughter, Li. Li's boyfriend, Zou Jie, has troubles with Mo's bourgeois tastes. The final section, set in 1978, introduces Hua, the adopted daughter of Li. Hua has been raised under the watchful eye of Mo, but has secretly married a brilliant fellow student, Du. Not knowing they're married, Mo attempts to sway Hua from further romance with Du.