Suzhou Pingtan artist Guo Yueting lives a poor but harmonious life with his wife Meiyu and twin daughters Baimei and Hongmei. Unexpectedly, misfortune falls from the sky, as the bully Qiu Long seizes Meiyu and tears the "plum blossom scarf" embroidered by Meiyu during their fight. In a rage, Guo Yueting slashes Qiu Long with a knife, and must flee overseas. Meiyu and her daughters flee to Shanghai with her husband's brother, Xia Yueqing. [partial synopsis excerpted from Douban.]