Spiritual Love (1987) Plot Summary Explained

Pu Yung-tsai gives up three years of his life after reading Wei Hsiao-Tieh's suicide letter hidden in the antique desk. The letter revealed she was forced into a marriage in the afterlife and took her own life as escape. Moved by her tragic story, Pu responds to the letter and sacrifices part of his lifespan so Wei Hsiao-Tieh can return to Earth as a ghost, freeing her from the forced afterlife marriage.

Foreshadowing: The occult knowledge in his cousin's home hints at the supernatural dealings to come.

• pu yung-tsai
• wei hsiao-tieh
• sacrifice
• ghost
• afterlife marriage
• three years

Wei Hsiao-Tieh was a young woman who committed suicide after being forced into a marriage in the afterlife. Her suicide letter was hidden inside the antique desk that Pu Yung-tsai purchased. The letter detailed her tragic fate and became the catalyst for the supernatural events in the film.

• wei hsiao-tieh
• suicide letter
• forced marriage
• afterlife
• backstory

May stages a fake suicide attempt to win Pu Yung-tsai back after he breaks up with her. However, the ruse backfires completely and leads to her actual death. This tragic event transforms May into a vengeful ghost who returns to haunt Pu and everyone around him.

Foreshadowing: May's desperate longing to win Pu back drives her increasingly extreme actions throughout the story.

• may
• fake suicide
• death
• ghost
• revenge

May's husband appears in the film's climax as a powerful figure from the afterlife. When Wei Hsiao-Tieh negotiates with him, she offers to return to him as his wife in exchange for him saving Pu and his companions from May's dangerous ghost. He then consumes May's ghost and takes Wei Hsiao-Tieh back to the afterlife with him.

• may husband
• afterlife
• ghost consumption
• wei hsiao-tieh

Wei Hsiao-Tieh negotiates a life-and-death bargain with May's husband. She agrees to return to him and become his wife again if he agrees to save Pu Yung-tsai and his companions from the dangerous, disruptive energy of May's vengeful ghost. This deal involves her sacrificing her temporary freedom on Earth.

• deal
• bargain
• wei hsiao-tieh
• save pu
• may husband

Wei Hsiao-Tieh returns to the afterlife with May's husband because it was the price she paid to save Pu Yung-tsai and his friends from May's dangerous ghost. After the husband consumes May's ghost, he takes Wei Hsiao-Tieh back to his realm, fulfilling their bargain. This results in the bittersweet ending where the main couple is tragically separated.

Foreshadowing: The bargain Wei Hsiao-Tieh makes requires her to return, foreshadowing the bittersweet conclusion.

• wei hsiao-tieh
• return
• afterlife
• husband
• separation
• bittersweet ending

May is pregnant and has been dumped by her rich boyfriend before the events of the film. After Pu Yung-tsai breaks up with her, she continues to carry the pregnancy. However, when May dies as a result of her fake suicide attempt, the fate of her unborn child is not explicitly addressed in the story's resolution.

• may
• baby
• pregnant
• pregnancy

May becomes a vengeful ghost after dying from her failed fake suicide attempt. Her spirit returns to haunt Pu Yung-tsai, his cousin, their mentor, and their friend, appearing in a nightclub and tormenting anyone connected to Pu. The death transforms her from a desperate ex-girlfriend into a dangerous spectral threat.

Foreshadowing: May's fixation on winning Pu back and her willingness to use extreme tactics set the stage for her tragic transformation.

• may
• vengeful ghost
• revenge
• haunting
• nightclub

Pu Yung-tsai breaks up with May after discovering she has been having an affair. This betrayal, combined with his growing connection to Wei Hsiao-Tieh's ghost, leads him to end the relationship. May's subsequent desperation to win him back drives her to stage the fatal fake suicide attempt.

• pu yung-tsai
• may
• breakup
• affair
• cheating

May's husband arrives from the afterlife and consumes May's ghost, effectively ending her haunting. This supernatural consumption appears to be a power that beings from the afterlife possess over spirits. After consuming May's ghost, he returns to his realm, taking Wei Hsiao-Tieh with him.

• may husband
• consume ghost
• exorcism
• afterlife
• supernatural power

The antique desk Pu Yung-tsai buys from a second-hand shop is the central catalyst for all supernatural events in the film. Hidden inside is Wei Hsiao-Tieh's suicide letter, which connects the living world with the afterlife. Without this desk, the ghost romance and subsequent tragedies would never occur.

Foreshadowing: The desk is introduced early, establishing it as the story's pivotal object.

• antique desk
• suicide letter
• second-hand shop
• catalyst