Qiu Lan, a young girl, lives with her aging father in a small farmhouse in rural Shaan Xi, China. It is 1935, and the winds of change are sweeping the nation. Motherless from a very young age, Qiu Lan tends to her ailing father, sick from years of work in the coalmines. One night, her father comes home with a guest - a young man. During dinner, Qiu Lan overhears her father talk of her fate and future to this young man. Marriage, even servitude is mentioned. In the darkness of night, Qiu Lan fears the unknown. The young man leaves, and the father and daughter prepare for bed. But before bed, the father takes out their family treasure - a music box. The two listen to its sweet tune before going to sleep. The next morning, Qiu Lan wakes to find her father dead. Left alone, she must learn to find her own way from the new and dangerous world exposed to her. Soon enough, the young man that had visited her father the very eve of his death comes by with perverse intentions. With nowhere to turn, Qiu Lan runs into the barren fields by her house. The only thing she takes with her is her father’s beloved music box. Miraculously, a group of communist soldiers are traveling down the road in a truck. Qiu Lan stops them and climbs in. Finally in safety, Qiu Lan looks at her saviors, realizing that they are women soldiers. From this moment, she knows that her life will be changed forever.