In this 1984 film directed by Kaige Chen, a revolutionary soldier arrives in Shanbei on a cultural mission to document traditional folk songs for state propaganda. His presence at a struggling peasant household becomes transformative for the family's teenage daughter, who glimpses an unexpected path away from her predetermined marriage. The narrative weaves together themes of political ideology, rural hardship, and personal liberation through the encounters between the soldier and this vulnerable young woman caught between tradition and possibility.