Shih Yueh-hsia
Captured and imprisoned by the government, Liu Yao-ting is forcefully separated from his wife Shih Yueh-hsia. During this time, they write to keep their love alive. Eighty one letters, lipstick-smudged and sweat-stained, are the vessel for their passion and the embodiment of their spirits.
In 1990, college student Ing, who accidently gets pregnant, returns to Lishan to spend the summer with her father. Ing notices the conflicts between her father and the farmers. She meets a young farmer Wen, and affection slowly grows between them. As summer ends, Ing leaves, and no one knows what the future will hold. To promote a new fertilizer, Ing's father gets a hot-air balloon, but hard as they try, it just can't fly.