Three young Chinese men from poor backgrounds achieve success by establishing a reputable English teaching school.

The film begins in 1985, during China's national study-abroad craze, a time when undergraduates became infatuated with America and believed that studying abroad was their only hope for a prosperous future.

Cheng Dongqing (Huang Xiaoming), Wang Yang (Tong Dawei), and Meng Xiaojun (Deng Chao) are three friends studying at Beijing's prestigious Yenching Academy.

Wang is the first to be granted one but forfeits it to stay with his Western girlfriend, while Cheng is repeatedly denied one.

Only Meng actually gets a study visa, and as he's leaving, he tells his friends he has no intention of returning to China.