Eighteen Springs

Manzhen works as a clerical assistant in a Shanghai factory and forms a close trio with Xu Shuhui and Shen Shijun. They become firm friends as they navigate work and life. The factory setting anchors her early hopes and dreams.

Manlu, Manzhen's elder sister who works as a nightclub hostess, decides to marry Zhu Hongcai to secure financial stability. Her choice reflects the social pressures and limited options of the time. The marriage sets the stage for further conflicts.

Shijun's wealthy family disapproves of Manzhen and Shijun's relationship, assuming the sister's occupation taints her. They pressure him to marry Cuizhi, a cousin, to protect family interests. This interference drives the lovers apart.

Manzhen and Shijun have a bitter quarrel fueled by social pressures and misunderstandings. They part ways, their love left unresolved. The rift marks a turning point for both families' plans.

Manlu arranges for Manzhen to be locked in Zhu Hongcai's mansion for an overnight encounter. Zhu rapes Manzhen, and she becomes pregnant with his child. The crime catalyzes a chain of entrapment and betrayal.

Manzhen is held prisoner in Zhu's mansion, cut off from contact with Shijun. She endures the pregnancy in isolation as the social threat to all concerned grows. Her confinement demonstrates the brutal limits of her choices.

Shijun travels to see Manzhen, hoping to reunite, but Manlu sends him away, believing Manzhen has rejected him due to their class difference. The couple is kept apart by deceit and pride. The moment underscores the cruel barriers around their love.

Manzhen gives birth to Zhu's son and escapes from hospital, choosing a new life away from the mansion. She becomes a schoolteacher in another town, seeking anonymity and independence. The birth binds her to Zhu's child, complicating her freedom.

By the time Manzhen writes to Shijun, he has married Cuizhi. Cuizhi and her mother-in-law burn Manzhen's letters, erasing the emotional record of their relationship. The betrayal cements the distance between the lovers.

Manlu, unable to bear children herself, tracks down Manzhen to ask forgiveness on her deathbed. Before dying, she restores Manzhen's biological son to her, hoping Manzhen will raise him. This act redeems some of the past wrongs and ties the families together in a fragile way.

Although she hates Zhu for the rape, Manzhen chooses to stay with him to raise their son. The decision binds her to a difficult, compromised life. She carries the memory of Shijun and their lost romance into the present.

Fourteen years have passed when Manzhen and Shijun cross paths by chance at their favorite restaurant in Shanghai. They catch up on each other's lives and recognize that love cannot overcome their obligations. The encounter underscores the enduring but impractical nature of their romance.

The film then flashes back to Shijun's search for Manzhen's missing red glove, which marks the moment their romance began. The glove search becomes a symbolic trigger for their connection. This flashback reframes the later reunion, showing how far they had come and how little they could change their fates.