Mozhuor, a wandering drifter who earns a living waiting tables in a small restaurant, unexpectedly reunites with Chunliu, a fellow villager he has not seen for years. Chunliu has prospered since leaving home, building a successful fish-farming business with his wife and younger sister, Xinghua. Through years of hard work, the family has become one of the region's most prosperous rural households. Seeing Mozhuor's miserable circumstances, Chunliu urges him to return to his hometown at Swan Lake and resume the traditional trades he once knew so well—raising fish and training cormorants for fishing. Homesick after years of wandering, Mozhuor decides to take his advice and return. With neither a house nor any land to call his own, Mozhuor has no choice but to live temporarily aboard Xinghua's small boat. Because he once saved Xinghua's life, Chunliu's family welcomes him warmly and does everything they can to help him rebuild his life.