AllMovie

Old double standards and new equality for women clash head-on in this story about two generations: a mistreated but strong mother and her independent, educated daughter. Xiu Qin has an arranged marriage, is physically abused by her husband, and yet her family forces her to remain with him. In spite of her miserable life, she makes sure her children get an education, and since her daughter Ah-fei is talented, she ultimately graduates from the university and lands a good job as an executive. Although she helps her family by moving them into a better home in the city, she comes into conflict with her mother when she meets a young man she likes and has her own ideas about how to handle a relationship.