In 1942, Henan Province was devastated by the most tragic famine in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.
Set in a bustling alleyway during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in the 1940s, the film centres on a wife, Zhan Zhou, who was being charged with the bloody dismemberment of her husband – a killing that seems impossible for her to have committed alone. The murder thrusts Zhan into the spotlight and the court of public opinion, forcing her towards a fate intertwined with that of her own country.
Champion competitive marksman Ken comes across an armored van robbery. He sees a policeman held hostage and shoots and kills four of the robbers. One of the robbers escapes and the policeman survives. The case is handled by Jerry Chang, whom Ken knows from having recently beaten him in a shooting match. Ken is found not guilty in court. Soon after, Ken is attacked by the escaped robber Pang Tao. Their confrontation reveals a very different background story and brings about a myriad of lies and traps and changes in relationships as Jerry and Ken try to outsmart each other.
“B for Busy” parallel story Single mother Wang Tiemei (played by Song Jia) moves out of work and meets neighbor girl Xiaoye (played by Zhong Chuxi). Xiaoye was sunny on the surface and depressed inside, and the two became close friends. The man surrounding Wang Tiemei: his ex husband (played by Zhao Youting) occasionally causes trouble, and his daughter's drummer teacher (played by Zhang Yu) seems to be full of new possibilities. Facing the intruders of love and life, two foreign women are thinking and growing.
Based on the novel of the same name by Shanghai writer Sun Ganlu, which won the 11th Mao Dun Literature Prize
