Beginning in late 1940s Taipei, Qiushui, a young teacher, coaches and soon falls for Biyun, the teen daughter of rich dentist Wang Tingwu. Qiushui's nerdy friend Zilu also carries a torch for her. Against the family's wishes, Qiushui and Biyun are about to become engaged when Qiushui suddenly mush flee Taiwan during the KMT government's notorious February 1947 crackdown on leftists. A few years later, Qiushui is serving as a field surgeon during the Korean War and meets the perky, tomboyish Jindi, a medical assistant. It's clear she has designs on him, and she finally persuades him to give up any hope of returning to Biyun, who's still pining away in Taiwan.