Zhang Yinglong, who had been working alone in Beijing, returned to his hometown to visit relatives and learned that due to logging and coal mining, the environment in his hometown had deteriorated from once being a place of abundant water and grass to now being covered in yellow sand. Despite the opposition of his relatives, he resigned from his job as a deputy general manager and sold his house to return to his hometown to fight the desert. After experiencing difficulties and perseverance, he has now become a "national model worker" with green trees lining the streets.
A man is released from prison and saved by his roommates after a suicide attempt. When he visits a bar and sees a Russian woman performing the classic song "Blue Train," he is inspired to go off in search of his ex-girlfriend.