The lives of the people of Shanghai intertwine in a modern portrait of society, full of love, hate, and tangled relationships. Ma Mingqi, a delivery rider, fights his way to a better life. Wenwen, a university student, pursues revenge. Lao Niu, a retired executive at a state-owned enterprise, struggles with remorse and atonement. His friend He Yawei, also an executive at a state-owned enterprise, makes one last desperate play. Pangzi, the rebellious son of a high-ranking official, tries to escape from life before ultimately sacrificing himself for love. Retired spy Lao Yang spends twenty years searching relentlessly for his missing daughter, only to give his life when they are finally reunited. Xiao Sichuan, who scrapes by at the bottom of society and is hopelessly addicted to gambling, and Zhang Qiang, who is willing to serve the powerful in pursuit of profit, are swept up in it all. Everyone fights with all they have just to get by, yet in the end, it seems they have gained nothing. To be human is to be destined for toil.
