Set against the background of today's Beijing, the film portrays the lives of ordinary people, living in three rather shabby, old-fashioned courtyards on Sunset Street.

Twelve families, all cherishing their dreams and hopes, trying to cope with their problems which are not of the earth-shaking variety, but every-day dramas. A high-school graduate, waiting for a job, is trying to earn money by repairing radio and TV sets; another young man discovers that he can make a living by breeding doves for the market; a young woman dreams of a life in luxury and then comes to her senses again; a shy tractor driver falls in love with a woman doctor—and in the end they all look forward to a new life, in new surroundings.