At the tail end of the Cultural Revolution, Qiu Shi, a poet who has been in prison for six years, is transferred elsewhere by boat under the guard of two officers. During transit, he meets a series of passengers, who have also faced hardships in recent times.

After accidentally killing his competition during a kung fu movie audition, Cheng Lindong is sentenced to seven years in prison, upon which he is released back into the world and the arms of his faithful girlfriend, Ke Lin. In a desperate move for a new life, he changes his identity and finds a job as a sparring partner at a boxing gym subsidized by its wealthy benefactor, Huang Li, who also happens to own a film studio.