矿工宋大明(李晨 饰)的女友井水(郑罗茜 饰)负责在井口分发下井工具,她十分厌恶这份工作,做梦都想进城干份体面工作。就在这时,矿上传出井水与矿长不清不楚的流言,大明也信以为真,有嘴说不清的井水与一城里人结了婚,离开了这个伤心之地。井水的胞弟井生(黄轩 饰)高考无望,追心仪女生去北京又遭骗,只好返回故乡,也做了一名矿工,最终与洗头房女孩小红走到一起。井水的母亲是多年前父亲丁宝根(罗德元 饰)从人贩子手中买来的,生下两个孩子后被娘家人带走。父亲的六十大寿即将到来,井水希望接他到城里享福,但执拗的父亲舍不得离开故土。生日过完后,他独自一个登上北去的列车去寻找多年不见的妻子......In a poor mining town in western China, stories of a father and his two children intertwine. The misfortunes of son and daughter alike unravel to illuminate the complicated relationships masked by their community's hard exterior. Presented by the Global Film Initiative.