This film is an adaptation of a short story of the same name, written by Kao Yi-feng. It tells the story of a green scarab beetle who has transformed into human form. As in the book, he is named "Vitamin." Vitamin surreptitiously enters people's apartments and observes and imitates human behavior. Through Vitamin's perspective as a bystander, the plot leads the audience to explore the unknown stories of various residents. However, Vitamin cannot understand the complex thoughts and desires of humans, and his short encounter with one person is fraught with doubt, conflict, and despair.
In the summer of 1979, during Taiwan’s martial law period, Bing-Kuan asks her college friend Shu-Lan to help out on her family’s banana plantation. As time goes by, the two girls secretly develop a romantic relationship, and decide to volunteer at the Formosa Magazine in order to promote democratic freedom of expression. Yet their youthful romance is threatened as the Kuomintang regime seeks to suppress dissident voices.
Androgynous Phoenix Du, the illicit daughter of a presidential candidate, kills the thug who breaks into her apartment to silence her. She comes before prosecutor Jade Liu, guilt-ridden from the suicide of her brother and her strict Catholic upbringing. Before demanding Phoenix’s three-and-a-half years sentence for manslaughter, Jade has a night of passion with her that redirects both their lives. Phoenix writes her hundreds of letters and begs her to wait for her release. In fear of her own desire, Jade marries Meng Ye, the genderless young man she saved from prison who reminds her of her brother…