It's springtime 1946, less than a year since the Japanese troops withdrew from China. A young woman, Yuwen, languishes within the bomb-damaged walls of a small town. She is bored, frustrated, wanting to escape. Yuwen's husband, Dai Liyan, fell ill with tubercolosis after the war; he and Yuwen began sleeping in separate rooms, giving up the thought of having children. One day Zhang Zhichen, a doctor and Dai Liyan's old friend from college, pays visit to the family, and discovers that there are strong feelings between him and Yuwen. Dai Liyan thinks that Zhichen would make the perfect husband for his younger sister, Xiu; however, Dai Liyan--realizing that Zhichen is in love with his wife--tries to commit suicide. Zhichen saves his life and leaves; but, it becomes clear, many things have changed in the Dai household.