AllMovie

A tiny, part-time opera troupe in China's coastal Fujian province gets a job to perform in the village of Xitang from a wealthy businessman. The leader of the troupe, Xueyan, therefore gathers her performers and sets off. Trouble arises upon their arrival when Xueyan learns that she is expected do a strip-tease during the performance. Fortunately, one of her dear old friends Sampeng, himself a businessman, shows up to clear up the potentially sticky situation. Before getting into business, Sampeng had run a puppet-show theater. After helping Xueyan, the two renew their acquaintance and she professes her long-held secret love for him. Later, as Sampeng views the opera, he finds himself quietly yearning to return to performing. But his desire is complicated by the dark machinations of his conniving wife. Xueyan also has her problems, as her daughter desires to follow in her footsteps while Xueyan would rather she further her academic education.