The story of a common family living in the alleys of old Shanghai from the Cultural Revolution untill the days of reform and opening. Du Xin Sheng and Yu Pei Pei are classmates who have a deep affection for each other. Pei Pei’s grandmother, however, is a professor at the conservatory and denounced as reactionary by the Red Guards. In order to prevent the Red Guards from taking away the precious Italian cello in Pei Pei’s home, Xin Sheng goes to his father who does maintenance work at the bell tower at the Bund and they hide the cello in there. When more and more young people from the city are being sent to the countryside, the Du family’s eldest daughter Xin Fang is determined to follow as well. But when the unmarried Xin Fang gets pregnant in the countryside, the Du family is being confronted with a huge challenge.