In the Face of Demolition

Lo Ming rents a room in a crumbling subdivided flat on Fife Lane, forcing the existing poor family to move out because they can’t pay the rent. This move marks the start of a tense coexistence among the tenants and exposes the building’s precarious living conditions.

Taxi driver Leung Wai and club girl Pak Ying pool their resources to secure the vacant bed for the displaced family. Their act underscores a communal ethic of 'one for all and all for one' that threads through the residents. The living space becomes a shared coping ground for hardship.

Lo Ming and Pak Ying grow closer and begin planning a future together. Their romance stands as a beacon of hope against the backdrop of poverty and crowded housing. The couple’s commitment foreshadows brighter days despite looming economic difficulties.

As the city’s fortunes sour, the tenants feel the pinch of a shrinking economy. Wages stagnate and money grows tighter, affecting everyone in the building. The sense of security is stripped away, leaving little room for dreams.

Leung Wai is dismissed from his taxi job, and Lo Ming also loses his position at the school. The couple's plans derail as income disappears, forcing them to confront daily survival rather than romance. The strain ripples through their relationships with other tenants.

Uncle Tam sells his own blood to make ends meet, illustrating the desperate measures people take to survive. Yuk-fong is devastated by the sexual assault she endures at the hands of Wong Tai-pan. The community wrestles with the personal and moral costs of economic collapse.

With unemployment, Lo Ming takes a job collecting rent for the landlord, and this new duty forces him to confront the oppression faced by fellow tenants. His conscience clashes with his paycheck as his relationships with tenants fray. The role marks a turning point in his loyalty between landlord and neighbors.

Pak Ying does what she can to support herself and Lo Ming, though resources remain scarce. The couple’s finances stay barely enough to survive, and their engagement is tested by constant hardship. Their bond strains but endures under pressure.

On a stormy night, Leung Wai’s wife goes into labor while Second Uncle Tam dies from exhaustion after selling blood. Yuk-fong, devastated by the rape, contemplates hanging herself. Lo Ming wrestles with his conscience as funeral costs and hospital bills mount for the tenants.

A fierce typhoon tears through the crumbling structure, collapsing the building and leaving the tenants with nowhere to shelter. The devastation strips them of their last stabilizing assets and possessions. In the wreckage, the cost of continuing as isolated individuals becomes painfully clear.

With nowhere to go, the tenants realize that the only way out is to band together. The collapse becomes a shared catalyst that binds them to face hardship collectively rather than alone. Hope returns as they commit to rebuilding their home as a community.

The survivors set plans in motion to reconstruct a shared living space from the ruins. The building’s residents vow to support one another and to create a more resilient home. Their victory is not wealth but the renewal of solidarity among the lower-class tenants.