Shanghai in the 1930's.

Shijun came from a well-to-do family in Nanjing. He was a man who couldn’t make up his mind. After graduation from university, he worked with his college friend Shuhui in the same factory. There, he met Manzhen, a cheerful and independent woman of the modern age. They fell in love, and had a very rosy picture of the future. Meanwhile, Shuhui, a poor kid with good looks and a good talker, became romantically attracted to the wealthy Cuizhi. Cuizhi reciprocated the same feelings for Shuhui, but it was not up to her to make any decision.

Manzhen’s elder sister Manlu once worked as a nightclub hostess to support the family, and then married a rich playboy Hongcai, who later had his eyes set on Manzhen. Manlu’s girlhood sweetheart and fiancé Yujin came visiting. He was the head of a village hospital, with an air of naivete. He saw in Manzhen a spirit of youth and progress, and reflected on his romance with Manlu that seemed quite childish to him now. In return, Manzhen harboured an admiration for Yujin’s unsophisticated and artless simplicity, but little did she know Shijun became extremely jealous because of this.

Then, war broke out; and later, the end of the war.

Time passed. Manzhen was raped by her brother-in-law Hongcai and was with child, and then became his concubine. Manlu, who betrayed her sister to her husband died with sorrows and regrets. Yujin got married in his village and later became a widower. Shuhui went to the United States to study for a doctorate, and was gone for ten long years. Eventually, Shijun and Cuizhi got married, but there was always something missing.

And thus, they lived.

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With authorization from Crown Publishing (H.K.) Ltd.