AllMovie

Emerging mainland filmmaker Hu Yaozhi writes and directs this stylish drama following a young woman who returns to her childhood village after years away, only to be confronted by a painful past relationship. Years ago, Jiang Mei (Zhang Lingxin) and then-boyfriend Lu Zheng (Tie Weiguang) left the remote village of Tunpu together in order to seek work in the coastal town of Shenzhen. When their relationship later failed, rumors began to swirl that Lu had dumped Jiang while she was pregnant with his child, and the heartbroken girl quietly got an abortion. Upon arriving back in Tunpu for a New Year's visit with her grandmother (Zhai Huaxiu) and her younger sister Jiang Gui (Jiao Junyan), Jiang Mei is saddened to learn that her old boyfriend is currently in town with his new fiancée Lin Fangfang (Li Yiling). Jiang Mei's already tender emotions become sensitive conflicted when, during a quiet moment together, Lu admits to his her that he's only marrying the rich businessman's daughter to get ahead, and that he longs to make amends for the past. Later, as Jiang Mei attempts to persuade his sister's longtime boyfriend Song Yu (Li Haozhen) to finally pop the question, the conflicted young man is forced to come to terms with the fact that his true love may not be Jiang Gui, but her lovely and more sophisticated older sister.