Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.
May 1994
The young Chor Lau-heung learns martial arts from Tuk-ku Kau-pai and has attained a high level of skill. His teacher sends him to Shaolin Monastery to attend a contest that is held once every ten years. On the journey, Chor meets Wu Tit-fa and Chung-yuen Yat-dim-hung. When Chor arrives at Shaolin, he fights with a Shaolin student called Mo-fa but neither of them is able to defeat each other. They decide to have a match again on another day. One night, Chor meets Mo-fa and strike up a conversation with her. Both of them decide to enter the palace in search of adventure. They disturb the prince on his wedding night but are accidentally caught in a trap and only manage to escape with the help of Chor's friends.
Mar 1993
In contemporary Taiwan, the aboriginal Ah-ming attempts suicide. When his life is saved by an old miner, Ah-ming is drawn into a journey back to his origins. Meanwhile, the miner's son, Ah-Chuan, finds a fugitive hooker who has returned from the lowlands. But Ah-Chuan only wants to integrate himself into mainstream society, in sharp contrast to the intentions and needs of those around him.
Jan 1990
