Gong Youchun

During the Republican era, in Biyu Town, an oasis in the Gobi Desert, Mayor Ma Yaozu amassed a vast fortune through gold prospecting.

During her summer vacation, college student An Li visits an ancient tomb for archaeological research. There, she is abducted by human trafficker Gao Shiying and sold to Fuzhu, a middle-aged fisherman. Aboard Fuzhu’s shabby motorized fishing boat, a tearful An Li begs Fuzhu’s mother to let her go home. Although the old woman sympathizes with her, she pleads with An Li to stay, thinking of the 7,000 yuan she and her family had paid with their hard-earned money.