After a fierce battle in the plains of Gansu, two injured survivors, a young trumpeter and a girl of the Woman Pioneers, wander in search of their comrades. They are eventually joined by an Yugur girl who has lost her family.
At the tail end of the Cultural Revolution, Qiu Shi, a poet who has been in prison for six years, is transferred elsewhere by boat under the guard of two officers. During transit, he meets a series of passengers, who have also faced hardships in recent times.
