Xiaochun has been playing the violin since he was old enough to hold an instrument.  Now aged 13, he has won an impressive string of regional prizes.  A shy and sensitive boy, raised solo by his hard-working father, Xiaochun has always expressed himself more readily with his violin than with words, convinced that his playing brings him closer to the musician mother he never knew.

Xiaochun is his father's pride and joy. A cook by trade, optimistic by nature, Liu Cheng has invested all his hopes in his son’s success as a musician. Although he is an unsophisticated country dweller, Liu Cheng knows further music studies in Beijing are a crucial prerequisite to the fame and fortune he so earnestly desires for his son.

With their meager savings and Liu Cheng's determination, father and son set off for the big city where Xiaochun has been invited to audition for a spot at a famous music school. The bright lights and sheer scale of Beijing impress the boy, but not nearly as much as his glimpse of a buoyantly sexy young woman at the train station. Xiaochun is abruptly introduced to a whole new world of feelings and possibilities he'd never suspected.

When Xiaochun places fifth in the competition, his father manages to cajole an eccentric teacher into taking on Xiaochun as a private pupil.  Mr. Jiang is a hardened bachelor given to brooding and sudden mood swings. His apartment hasn't been cleaned since the Great Wall was built and his teaching methods are unorthodox. But he guides his gifted pupil toward a deeper understanding of how to play with feeling rather than mere virtuosity.

Meanwhile, Xiaochun has discovered that Lili, the pretty young stranger from the train station, practically lives next door. Xiaochun may understand the intricacies of sheet music but he's an absolute beginner at deciphering the opposite sex.

Lili is destined to be Xiaochun's first love, first source of heartbreak and first true friend. Xiaochun's sentimental education includes the realization that girlish fun-loving Lili sells her favors to deep-pocketed gentlemen in order to maintain her lifestyle.

To pay for Xiaochun's music lessons, Liu Cheng works non-stop at odd jobs.
One day, while making a delivery, Liu Cheng stumbles upon a recital by a young virtuoso.

Doggedly determined that his son should have the very best professional guidance, Liu Cheng introduces himself to the acclaimed soloist's teacher, Mr. Yu.  Yu, who has a reputation for forging young talents into musicians of international renown, agrees to listen to Xiaochun play.

It is with regret that Xiaochun abandons ornery but endearing Professor Jiang for the redoubtable Yu.  A demanding taskmaster with a malicious manipulative streak, Yu pits Xiaochun against his other favorite pupil, Lin Yu.  The day before an all-important juried performance, Professor Yu reveals to Xiaochun a secret piece of information that changes the boy's life forever.