Chiu Kwan

The winters in Northern China could become rather bitter and harsh especially if one must endure it alone. Hoping to spend his last winter in solitude, a timid man must declare his love for his sweetheart before her family forces her to be married off.

Northeastern China is infested with bandits. Hsiao Kai (Paul Chang Chung), a wandering knight, captures a white horse from thieves. His skilful handling of the horse earns his admiration of fellow traveler Chu Ching Hsu (Wong Chung Shun). They arrive at Lo Lung Kow, where the villagers hunt for a living and are constantly terrorized by bandits. Grocer Ting Tze Pao (Ngai Ping Ngo) returns from his negotiations with the bandits with bad news. They intend to collect furs from the villagers at a fixed price. Village leader Mu (Yuen Sam and his daughter Tsui Ying (Pat ting Hung) run a tavern. She wonders how the white horse belonging to a Sinkiang youth named Sha Yi Ti (Man Ling) is now in the possession of Hsiao Kai.

Cheung framed Chan For. Chan orders his wife not to tell this to their children, Ah Lan and Hung. His wife passes away. On her deathbed, she asked a neighbour, To Chung-man, to take care of her children. Claiming to be a good friend of their father, Chan For moves in to the bed next to Ah Lan to take care of his children. Hung likes this uncle because he always treats him generously. But Ah Lan finds "Uncle For" weird and enthusiastic. Ah Lan is forced to pay her mother's debt. Hung is suffering from acute appendicitis. To solve Ah Lan's financial problem, Chung-man returns to his rich family and accept an arranged marriage. Ah Lan decides to sell herself to the construction site foreman for one night. Chan For wants to stop his daughter from making this deal, so he agrees to work for Cheung again. The next day he carries out a robbery and is caught. Ah Lan and Chung-man visit him in jail, and hold their wedding ceremony in front of him. He looks forward to the days when he returns.

Cold Nights features great performances by both Pak Yin as a tough minded “new woman”, Shusheng, and Ng Cho-fan as her weak husband, Wang Wenxuan, whose spirits have been crushed by the Sino-Japanese war.