Jilted by his first love, and abandoned by the woman he marries, piano teacher Jiansheng refuses to allow his misfortune to dilute his devotion to music and to his students. When he becomes critically ill, two of his former students, who have become internationally-acclaimed pianists, return to Shanghai to perform at a benefit concert in aid of their former teacher, who they owe so much. Unfortunately, Jiansheng is too ill to attend the concert, but can only listen to the 'live' radio broadcast of one of his student playing his favorite concerto, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2.
