At the end of the 19th century, Qingqing Zhao was sold into a joyhouse in Gusu. In this futureless place, she starts to be on intimate terms with Qi Liu who is a cowardly yet rich man. However, after Qingqing learns of the misery of her friend Weiwei Chen and her bawd Ming, she begins to think about her future, and gradually use, ruin, and abandon Qi Liu. Nevertheless, Qi Liu does an extremely risky thing for her.
—Yang Zhen