In a small Chinese town some years ago, two childhood friends contend with the harsh realities of a nation drastically transitioning from Socialism to Market Economy. A young boy looking for guidance accidentally gets entangled with local hoodlums. His neighbor and classmate, a decent young girl, tries her best to help him with his studies while staying afloat amid the chaos of modernization herself. They dream of a future where they can both leave the confines of their town, but an unexpected accident redirects their fates to something else entirely.

A beautiful coffee shop owner Zhong Meibao suddenly dies in a condominium at the Horizon Tower. When she died, her face still wore a doll-like makeup, hence the case was referred to as the "Doll Murder Case". This case shocks the whole tower, and after investigation the clues point to three suspects - security guard Xie Baoluo, architect Lin Dasen and property manager Lin Mengyu. All three suspects were enthralled by Zhong Meibao's beauty, and all had an intimate relationship with her. All the clue seem to point to the possibility of a love crime. However in the midst of investigation, new clues begin to emerge, and turns the focus to Zhong Meibao's complicated and painful youth. Her family, consisting of her step-father, mother, younger brother and foster mother, were implicated into the case. Just who could be the real murderer?

An unsolved murder case of a young girl repeats itself twenty years later and awakens the memories of a peaceful town. Shan Feng, who was once a witness to the murder case, now returns to the town as a policeman, unable to forget the painful memories. He seeks out the truth and discovers all the people related to the case have undergone drastic changes.

Set during a time of reform in the 1980s, this is a story about youth and love that revolves around 6 families living on Mayang street in Guangzhou. Ou Xiao Jian is a bad boy who dates Ma Xiao Xiao, a school girl in the neighborhood. Yi Dong Dong has had a crush on Ma Xiao Xiao from the moment they met. The 18-year-old Yi Dong Dong moves with his family back to their hometown and falls in love at first sight for his neighbor Ma Xiao Xiao. When he realizes that she is attracted to his friend Xiao Jian, he kept his feelings to himself and protect her from a distance. Xiao Xiao is constantly worried for Ou Xiaojian who spends his time fooling around with other delinquents. Utterly exhausted due to the problems between them, Ma Xiaoxiao and Ou Xiaojian part ways. Later, Xiaoxiao becomes a lawyer and Dongdong passes the local civil service exams. Meanwhile, Xiaojian undergoes many ups and downs.

Fate brings together three fascinating lost souls – a monk with a sack of money, an innkeeper with an uneasy conscience, and a father who’s lost his son – in young Chinese director Zeng Zeng’s mysterious tale of guilt, punishment and ambiguous redemption.

In a grimy provincial industrial city, a talented but unattractive schoolteacher dreams of an operatic career.