Amidst the cracked cement homes of an industrial town, a family is split in two: the haggard father favors "his" long-haired, dutiful daughter Xiaoqin, but the mother prefers "her" short-haired and far more rebellious daughter Xiaolan. The family's accepted sense of contempt is shattered during a sudden moment of violence, one so brutal that it sends Xiaolan to jail for life. Years later, she is freed for a brief time on the New Year holiday to begin a search for a family home she may never rediscover. Drawing on a quiet sense of observation and an unobtrusive camera style, Zhang Yuan discovers the common truths buried within the fragments of a home and the unspoken bonds of family.