No ano de 1967 na China, o jovem estudante Chen Zhen (Shaofeng Feng) é enviado para viver entre os nômades do interior da Mongólia. Entre o avanço da civilização e os tradicionais inimigos dos nômades, os lobos, Chen se questiona sobre a similaridade entre humanos e animais, comcluindo que todos são residentes e invasores lutando para encontrar seu lugar no mundo.
In the 1960s, about 3,000 Chinese orphans were sent to Inner Mongolia. In the Xilingol grassland, Qiqigema Erji adopted Chen Chen and Yu Sheng even though her husband disapproved. The children grew up as Mongolian nomads. But 20 years later, upon hearing the news that biological parents were looking for their children, Chen Chen left for Shanghai in the hope of meeting his parents. Yu Sheng finally did meet his parents and faced a choice as to where he wanted to live.
