Strange Happenings in Peach Blossom Village

Yang Zhanxian is an ordinary college graduate who is talked into taking a village secretary post in remote Taohua Village. At first, he thinks the place is pretty nice: there are few young men and plenty of young women and newlywed wives. Spending every day settling disputes among them leaves him feeling quite pleased with himself. He plans to spend a few years working his way up from the grassroots, but after he turns down the flirtatious advances of a widow named Wang, she takes her own life by setting herself on fire. One incident after another soon follows in the village. Rumors spread that ghosts are behind it all, and even the village chief supports this claim. But after Li Yun'an, a teacher who came to the countryside to volunteer, is caught up in the trouble, Yang Zhanxian seems to uncover the truth. There is no such thing as ghosts or spirits. These seemingly unrelated cases all stem from a ridiculous wager made nine years ago, and the seemingly honest villagers are hiding shameful deeds of their own.