In 1937, the thunderous roar of cannons at the Marco Polo Bridge marked the beginning of the full-scale war between China and Japan, completely disrupting the tranquil life of Little Sheepfold Hutong in Beiping.

Amid the chaos of the times, the lives of hardworking and honest city dwellers grew increasingly difficult: Little Cui, the rickshaw puller; the opera-loving couple, Little Wen and his wife; the kind-hearted Elder Li; and Cheng Changshun, who relied on his grandmother for survival.  Each faced their own struggles, yet all were gradually stripped of their most basic dignity and hope.  The reclusive poet Qian, who had always shunned fame and fortune, saw his family torn apart by the war.  This tragedy, however, spurred Qian Moyin to shed the passivity and complacency of an intellectual and transform into a determined warrior.

In stark contrast were the opportunists who thrived amid the turmoil. Among them, Guan Xiaohe and his wife, Big Red Bun, lived a life of extravagance, even as their actions were never accepted by the rest of the Guan family.

The Qi family, the most upright and peaceful household in Little Sheepfold Hutong, found their members divided by the upheaval.  The youngest grandson, Ruiquan, left home to join the resistance, his whereabouts unknown; the second grandson, Ruifeng, swayed by his wife, secured a lucrative position in the puppet government; and the eldest grandson, Ruixuan, a middle school English teacher, struggled between his duty to family and his loyalty to his country, striving to support his family with the help of his devoted wife, Yunmei.  Whether the elderly Patriarch Qi could uphold the ideal of four generations living under one roof and celebrate his eightieth birthday became the final suspense of his life…

Director: Tian Qinxin