After the downfall of the Gang of Four, Zhu Keshi is assigned the post of county party secretary, due to the illness of the acting secretary after the suicide of the previous secretary.
Yang Bailao, a tenant farmer, lives with his daughter Xi'er. The despotic landlord, Huang Shiren, attempts to forcibly take Xi'er for himself. On the eve of the Chinese Spring Festival, Huang forces Yang to sell his daughter as repayment of the debt Yang owes him.
