Lao Quan
Después de verse obligado a abandonar su casa y su familia por deudas de juego, un hombre rehace su vida como titiritero hasta que se ve envuelto en la revolución maoísta. Cuando consigue volver con su mujer y sus hijos, ya nada es como antes.
Father Ge
Ge Lan, a second-year student of Ningjiang Middle School, has a such a good voice that her music teacher Ye Xiulian thinks she will have a promising future. Ge Lan's parents however, are not interested teacher Ye's suggestion to let their daughter to study music. Teacher Ye does not give up, but uses every mean she can to make Ge Lan interested in music.
