On an ordinary day in a city in northern China, people struggle with their lives as usual. A middle-aged man finds his job has been given to a young person. The man's wife wants a new life. Some high school students are numbly arranged in the schoolyard. And a young teacher is trying to change the traditional education system. The owner of a barbershop forces the barbers to go into the streets to grab customers. Similarly, a barbecue shop owner is transforming his shop into a nightclub. When night falls, people finish work and come to the new nightclub. They lose themselves in the gorgeous illusion.
Chong er and San yuan, who are gangsters, lived in a small city northeast of China. They felt lost and confused about the future. San worked at a factory. He and Chong helped Qi ge, the gang leader, to collect debt. Chong despised his vocation and wanted to become a cross talk actor. Lei fu, an entrepreneur, looked down upon Qi. Qi did nothing considered the scale and influence of Lei's company. Lei's project failed thanks to San. He was furious. The dispute was ended through the mediation of his old friends. San was beaten, and his hatred grew deeper. Chong's life was not as good as expected. The money he saved for learning cross talk was not in use. Qi finally got a chance to defeat Lei. However, there was no real winner in this battle. Lei's company went bankrupt. San kept on living an aimless life, while Chong left the small city and kept on pursuing his cross talk dream.
