Based on Zhu Dao-Nan's memoir "In the Flood of the Great Revolution", the film reproduces the historical picture of the changing circumstances of China before and after the Great Revolution through the pursuit, struggle and differentiation of young intellectuals such as Jin Gong-Shou, Gu Da-Ming, and Yang Ru-Kuan in the revolutionary tide.
Shot in gorgeous color, this fascinating communist flipside to fifties Hollywood music biopics chronicles the life and tragic early death of Nie Er, the composer of the PRC’s national anthem.
Wang Jiayou, a young worker at the Shanghai New Machinery Factory, is a man whose life is unorganized, does not pay attention to labor discipline, and often spends his youth in dance halls, skating rinks and cafes. When working during the day, he appears listless and often has accidents.
Before the liberation of Shanghai, Nationalist agent Zhang Rong is ordered to blend in with the captive workers of the Baotong Mill and wait for a chance to act. After the liberation, he returns to the factory, disguising himself as a far-left agitator and causing friction between the workers and management.
Num edifício de apartamentos em Xangai, Hou, um oficial corrupto do Kuomintang, o partido no poder na China em meio ao caos do fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial, ocupa o prédio, avisa que irá vendê-lo e manda todos os inquilinos saírem.