Rubel wants to join school but reality forces him to smuggle across the River Ganges between India and Bangladesh. The same river eroded his home. Now he lives on Char, an island within this river which starts eroding now.
Jiayi is a left-behind child who has to endure the bitter taste of separation from parents. However, she still has to forget sadness and grows up in pain and joy with her brother.
In southwestern Hunan, many people mine illegally for a living, and many miners develop pneumoconiosis. After the illegal mines are shut down by the government, their road to misery begins.