His motivation starts to change after he witnesses devastated patients whose families had been pushed into poverty by costly cancer treatments walk away with hope for the future.

At the same time, Chinese police notice the availability of the contraband imatinib and vow to crack down on the unlicensed generic drug, as the originator company Nova (reflecting Novartis in real life) sues the Indian government for infringing its patent.

On opening day, the film topped the Chinese box office and grossed $49.71 million, including preview screenings.

He stated that "I’d have an easier time accepting the trite, asked-and-answered conclusions... if [the director and co-writers] were more adept at tugging at viewers' heart-strings.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang cited the film in an appeal to regulators to "speed up price cuts for cancer drugs" and "reduce the burden on families".