Master Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou turns his lens on the travails of modern China's peasants. When teacher Gao (Gao Enman) leaves town for a month, 13-year old Wei (Wei Minzhi) is pressed into serving as his substitute at the school from which she just graduated. If she keeps her class intact, she will receive a bonus. But when a student leaves for the city, she follows and strives relentlessly to bring him back.