After wrapping a performance in a rural town, a struggling chinese opera troupe, is informed by its director that its sponsorship money has gone missing. Now left without funds the troupe must disband, at least for a while until more money can be raised. Each of the performers are forced to take on odd jobs to make ends meet, adding friction to their already bumpy marriages and friendships. Ma San, whose wife is desperate to leave China for a better life in France, attempts another ancient art cock fighting with his prized rooster Bruce; Liu Bing opens a photo studio with the not-so-desired help of his in-laws; and Sihai sells stolen puppies while waiting for his wife Sumei, the troupe's diva, to return from seeking work in the south.
