A Xiang, a country girl working at Dafeng cotton mill, purchases a red dress, in fashion on the streets of Shanghai. One day, she lends it to Xing'er, a model worker, and causes a drastic shift in her personality.
History of filmmaking in China from its beginnings in the 1920s to 1982, featuring Shanghai cinema of 1930s; the progressive filmmakers; the organisation of filmmaking under the post-war communist government; the impact of the Cultural Revolution; the work of Xie Jin.
