Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Happiness Is… (2015) movie poster

Plot Summary

Happiness Is… (2015) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2015 · 115 mins · Russian
Loading streaming availability…
Directed by
Artem Prokhorov, Tatyana Gulina
Starring
Evgeniya Dmitrieva, Alexander Petrov, Pavel Priluchnyy, Evgeniy Kharlanov, Svetlana Ivanova, Andrey Merzlikin

Seven good-ending stories for a whole family.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
Loading streaming availability…

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Happiness Is…: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Happiness Is… (2015) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Chan Kai-yuk returns to Hong Kong from Guangzhou after his mother’s death, hoping to reconnect with a father who abandoned the family and started a new life. He soon encounters hardship: fired from a restaurant and unable to keep up with rent, he ends up sleeping on the streets. A kind gesture from Kam, a chef at the Beloved Community Centre, offers him a lifeline. Kam invites him to the centre, but Chan can’t commit without a stable address, so he seeks help from Tse Yuen-fan, a middle-aged, childless ex-singer who lives alone after her last tenant moved out.

Tse is wary at first, a practical and modest woman who sticks to a simple daily routine. Yet Chan’s persistence and a small gesture—a dozen eggs offered as a gift—help break the ice, and she eventually agrees to become his new tenant. With a roof over his head, Chan starts to settle into life at the living room, where Tse enforces a strict timetable. This new structure gives him momentum, and soon he lands a job at the Beloved centre, where he meets Xiaoyue and Fong, both connected to social work in the community. Xiaoyue, a Guangzhou-based intern, captures Chan’s interest as he works on a food-sharing program, even as he navigates the growing pull of romance and the complications of her own relationship.

As the story unfolds, Tse’s memory begins to show strain. A light-hearted moment with Chan turns serious when she undergoes a mini–mental state examination and is diagnosed with a mild cognitive disorder. At first Chan is detached, but witnessing Tse lose her way on the street ignites a sense of responsibility he hadn’t expected. He wrestles with the fear of becoming the caretaker her condition might demand, and for a time he considers stepping away. Yet the sight of Tse searching for him, vulnerable and determined, pulls him back. He chooses to stay, and under the supervision of Fong and with Tse’s consent, he helps her begin a medication plan intended to slow the progression of her condition.

With Fat’s help, Chan tracks down his father and discovers a new family. He secretly takes his younger stepbrother to an indoor playground and treats him to ice cream, unaware of a peanut allergy that triggers a medical crisis. The boy’s distress becomes a turning point: the father, under the influence of his new wife, orders Chan to cut ties with the family he’s trying to reconnect with. Chan complies outwardly, but the emotional toll is heavy. He finds solace in Tse and Xiaoyue, who stand by him, and Tse even asks Chan to call her mother.

As Tse’s condition worsens, she writes a will naming Chan as the heir to all her properties, including the flat she once inherited, on the condition that he continues to care for her as if he were her son. The two begin to live like a family, with Tse indulging in her old passion for drawing and Chan taking up a new job at a restaurant. A visit to Beloved reveals that Xiaoyue has returned to Guangzhou. Her leaving note reveals that she has admired Chan’s steadfast love for his ailing mother since they first met in a Guangzhou hospital, even though she didn’t fully recognize him at the time. Her relationship with her own partner faltered, yet she treasures the human connections she formed in Hong Kong, especially the bond between Chan and Tse, which has given both of them a sense of belonging and purpose amid difficult times.

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:03

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

Happiness Is… Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Happiness Is… (2015): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Chan leave Guangzhou and go to Hong Kong after his mother's death?

Chan leaves Guangzhou for Hong Kong because he wants to reconnect with his father who abandoned the family and started a new life there. After losing his mother, Chan hopes to rebuild a relationship with his estranged father and find a sense of family in the city.

  • Chan
  • Guangzhou
  • Hong Kong
  • father
  • mother death
  • estranged family
Q2

Why does giving eggs help Chan secure a place to live with Tse?

In Chinese culture, giving eggs as a gift is a traditional gesture of respect and goodwill. When Chan presents Tse with a dozen eggs, it breaks the ice with the wary, practical woman and demonstrates his genuine intent to be a good tenant, convincing her to rent out her spare room.

  • eggs
  • Tse
  • housing
  • tenant
  • Chinese custom
  • gift
Q3

What is Tse's diagnosis and how does it affect her?

Tse is diagnosed with mild cognitive disorder after scoring low on a Mini-Mental State Examination. This condition causes memory loss and disorientation, she eventually gets lost on the street while searching for Chan. It progressively worsens, requiring her to start medication to slow the deterioration.

Foreshadowing: Tse's strict daily routine and careful habits hint at her declining memory even before the diagnosis.

  • Tse
  • mild cognitive disorder
  • dementia
  • memory loss
  • diagnosis
  • MMSE
Q4

Why does Chan leave Tse after her diagnosis?

Chan initially flees because he fears becoming Tse's caretaker, feeling the burden would derail his own life. However, seeing Tse searching for him vulnerable and lost triggers his memory of his late mother, prompting him to return and accept responsibility for her care.

  • Chan
  • Tse
  • caregiver
  • fear
  • responsibility
  • diagnosis
  • abandonment
Q5

What happens with the peanut allergy incident at the hospital?

Chan secretly takes his young stepbrother to an indoor playground and gives him ice cream, not knowing the boy has a severe peanut allergy. The child suffers a medical crisis requiring hospitalization, which enrages Chan's father. Under pressure from his new wife, the father demands Chan sever all ties with the family.

  • peanut allergy
  • hospital
  • stepbrother
  • father
  • ice cream
  • medical emergency
Q6

Why does Chan's father reject him after the hospital incident?

Although the peanut allergy crisis was accidental, Chan's father uses it as justification to cut ties. The father's new wife influences him to blame Chan for the incident, and he chooses to prioritize his new family over reconnecting with his son from the first marriage.

  • father
  • rejection
  • family
  • stepbrother
  • hospital
  • new wife
  • estrangement
Q7

Why does Tse name Chan as her heir in her will?

As Tse's cognitive condition worsens, she chooses to formalize their bond by making Chan her sole heir to all her properties, including the flat she inherited from her former boss. The condition requires him to continue caring for her as if he were her son, creating a legal and emotional framework for their surrogate family relationship.

  • Tse
  • will
  • heir
  • property
  • inheritance
  • caregiver
  • son
  • flat
Q8

What is Xiaoyue's connection to Chan from Guangzhou?

Xiaoyue reveals in her leaving note that she first met Chan years earlier at a Guangzhou hospital, where she witnessed his devoted care for his ailing mother. She admired his steadfast love and compassion even though he didn't recognize her at the time. This memory explains why she was drawn to him when they later worked together at Beloved.

  • Xiaoyue
  • Guangzhou
  • hospital
  • Chan
  • mother
  • memory
  • admiration
  • past connection
Q9

How do Chan and Tse become a family?

Chan and Tse evolve from landlord-tenant to surrogate mother-son relationship through shared daily life, Chan's eventual acceptance of caregiving duties, and Tse's will that legally binds them. Their bond strengthens as Chan cares for her declining health and Tse treats him like family, providing him the belonging he sought.

  • Chan
  • Tse
  • family
  • surrogate mother
  • caregiving
  • bond
  • belonging
  • chosen family
Q10

What happens to Xiaoyue at the end of the movie?

Xiaoyue returns to Guangzhou, ending both her internship at Beloved and her complicated relationship with her partner. However, she leaves a note expressing gratitude for the connections she formed in Hong Kong, particularly the bond between Chan and Tse, which inspired her and gave her hope about human relationships.

  • Xiaoyue
  • Guangzhou
  • departure
  • ending
  • note
  • return
  • relationship

Movie threads

More Movies Like Happiness Is…, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Happiness Is… tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Quiet Found Family Stories like Happiness Is…

Stories where lonely souls build new bonds to heal old wounds. If you liked the hopeful connections in Happiness Is…, explore more movies about found families. These dramas feature characters building supportive bonds to overcome loneliness and hardship, offering a bittersweet but ultimately heartwarming viewing experience.

  • heartwarming
  • melancholic
  • comforting
  • reflective
  • hopeful
  • lonely
  • Tone: bittersweet, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows isolated individuals or fractured groups as they slowly, often reluctantly, come together. Conflict arises from internal struggles and past trauma rather than external villains, with the central plot revolving around the gradual, hard-won trust and love that forms their new family.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared focus on building familial bonds outside of blood relations. They consistently blend heartwarming warmth with a reflective, sometimes melancholic tone, creating a deeply comforting yet emotionally resonant experience centered on community and belonging.

Bittersweet Life Dramas similar to Happiness Is…

Emotional stories that find hope amid life's inevitable sadness. Find movies like Happiness Is… that explore the bittersweet nature of everyday life. These steady-paced family dramas blend heartfelt emotion with serious themes, offering a reflective and comforting experience for viewers who appreciate nuanced storytelling.

  • bittersweet
  • reflective
  • heartfelt
  • comforting
  • melancholic
  • hopeful
  • Tone: bittersweet, reflective
  • Pacing: steady
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories unfold at a steady pace, interweaving the challenges of daily existence—such as health issues, family dynamics, and personal growth. The journey acknowledges sadness and loss but ultimately emphasizes human connection and the small, redemptive moments that make life meaningful.

Why they belong together: They are united by a specific bittersweet tone and a focus on realistic emotional journeys. The pacing is consistently steady, the intensity medium, and the resolution is never purely happy or sad, but a truthful blend that leaves viewers feeling reflective and comforted.

Every angle

Happiness Is… (2015) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Happiness Is… in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app