Born in China during a quiet space between Civil War clashes and the Second Sino-Japanese war, Tsai Zongshi was taught that the love and loyalty of family can overcome any conflict.
 
But when the Communist Party finally claims victory and rises to power at the same time that Zongshi reaches adulthood, he finds himself uncertain as to where he belongs in the new world order. 

Assailed by the Party and distanced from his parents, Zongshi wonders whether he will survive the greatest conflict of all: the belief in sacrifice for the good of his family versus the desire for self-preservation.