IOU

This is a childhood story which took place in a village of the central Shaanxi plain in the late 1990s. In the context that students were judged by their grades, Ba-Wang Chaoguo, a student at a primary school, was a bad student in the eyes of his teachers and parents. Not recognized by his parents and teachers, Ba-Wang Chaoguo saw a big tree in the field as his own "Home". And he hid all of his favorite things in the tree. The nature of child caused many conflicts between Ba-Wang Chaoguo and adults' world until one day Miss Fen came to work as a teacher. Miss Fen appointed him as the librarian of the class. Also he became a good friend of the female teacher and his "Home" also became the female teacher's "Home". However, the good times didn't last long. The preferential treatment he received was changed after the arrival of Miss Fen's boyfriend.

Teacher Fen Ti returned to the primary school to do research for a thesis and found that a boy named Si Ba Niu Niu and a girl named Mao Ye often played alone. By paying attention to the two children, Teacher Fen Ti gradually discovered the reason and was deeply moved. The two children also regained confidence through the attention they received.

This film tells the story of Class 4, Grade 9—a notorious “last-place class” at school due to its high number of failing students. Their leader, Ba Wang Chaoguo, is seen as the ringleader of this so-called “herd.” One day, the school brings in a highly unconventional art teacher whose eccentric methods baffle the administration but unexpectedly inspire Ba Wang and his classmates, giving them a new sense of purpose and hope for the future.