The film picks up the story of the lives of four young Chinese girls, daughters of Shanghai's elite, who went to the United States to study in 1948 and faced difficulties trying to return home a year later.
She then pursues advanced studies in the United States with her friends Huang Huifen (Li Kequn), Lei Zhiling (Xiao Xiong) and Zhang Jiaxing (Lu Ling).
Three years later, Li Tong appears at Zhang Jiaxing's wedding, her heavy make-up gives her friends mixed feelings.
On April 26, 1987, Xie Jin and Pai Hsien-yung met at the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, they talked about changing the short story Zhexianji (謫仙記) into a movie.
Brigitte Lin had been considered to star as Li Tong, the female lead role in the film, but at that time the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait had not been thawing, she was recognized by reporters at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and under the pressure of the authorities, she had to give up acting the movie.