In 1956, a man and a woman who fell in love freely get married. The differences in Wen Li and Tong Zhi's personalities are apparent from the start of their marriage. Wen Li, who adores Soviet novels and aspires to a better life, has a strong bourgeois streak and is the most cherished daughter in her family. Straightforward and unromantic Tong Zhi is the only son, doted on by his parents. Before the newlyweds have even finished enjoying their sweet honeymoon, Wen Li gives birth to a daughter, and the first-time parents are utterly overwhelmed. Their second daughter, Nanfang, soon arrives as well. Unable to manage on their own, the couple has no choice but to send her to Sichuan to be cared for by Tong Zhi's mother.
