In a village in rural Taiwan, a new schoolteacher, coming from Taipei, falls in love with a local young woman.

[2] The film is also part of the Early Hou Hsiao-sien DVD set.

[3] A retrospective review, comparing the film to Hou's earlier productions, states that "The Green, Green Grass of Home ... builds on the nostalgic pastoral mode of Cute Girl, but represents an exponential improvement.

Here, Hou refines his camera work with assured compositions and rich mise en scène, while further exploring the playful masculinity of Cute Girl.

There is a romantic subplot with another teacher, but the film is at its most rewarding when following the antics of the young boys who dub themselves ‘the three musketeers’.