Buddha Mountain

Nan Feng performs on stage at a pub and, in a moment of anger, swings a speaker and strikes a man in the crotch. The incident strains her relationship with the pub owner and injects tension into the night. Afterward, she and her friends Ding Bo and Fatso eat and drink by the roadside to regroup.

The next day, Fatso is bullied by a group of teenagers. Nan Feng steps in and confronts them, smashing a bottle over one aggressor's head and forcing another girl to kiss her. The confrontation tests their loyalty and strengthens their bond.

They decide to live with Teacher Chang, who has recently lost her son. The man who was injured demands compensation, so Nan Feng and the others take money from Miss Chang and replace it with paper money meant to be burnt for their ancestors. This marks a turning point as they seek shelter and a means to square their debts.

On the road to a birthday meal with Teacher Chang's son’s girlfriend, they repair the car that crashed and killed her son. During the journey they stop at a destroyed building, hinting at memories that haunt them. They continue onward, bearing witness to the ruins and to the fragility of life.

A flashback sequence reveals the destruction caused by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The group witnesses the ruins and participates in a moment of shared reflection. They even take a photograph with a monk at the Buddha temple ruins, linking memory and present action.

Nan Feng spots Ding Bo kissing another girl at a nightclub and becomes consumed by jealousy. She seeks comfort from Teacher Chang, retreating from the romance triangle to ground herself. The moment signals shifts in relationships and personal growth.

During the day, Nan Feng, Ding Bo, Fatso and Teacher Chang return to the destroyed Buddha temple to help repairs and hang a bell. In the evening, the monk reveals that his master's body is the real temple, reframing devotion beyond physical structures. The scene blends healing with spiritual insight.

Teacher Chang declares she has done all she can and has no regrets, while joyfully acknowledging that Nan Feng and the others have mended their personal lives. Her words underscore a theme of letting go and moving forward. The moment strengthens the group as they prepare for what comes next.

The next morning, Nan Feng and her friends search for Teacher Chang but find her standing on the opposite cliff edge. They watch a train pass below and realize she has disappeared, leading them to believe she jumped to reunite with her husband and son. The moment leaves the trio to confront loss and uncertainty.

Fatso, Nan Feng and Ding Bo, who are now dating, take a train home and recognize that their youth is ending. They accept the need to grow up and pursue steadier lives together. The journey becomes a quiet meditation on transition and responsibility.

As the film closes, Nan Feng is reminded of Teacher Chang's words: loneliness is not forever, but being together is. The trio looks ahead to a future where they carry memories forward while building new lives. The ending settles the emotional arc with a sense of hopeful endurance.