Li Yan is married to Chen Wei and raises their daughter in their home in Beijing. Chen Wei works as a cremator and participates in different business schemes with his cousin, Zheng. One of the couple's side jobs is dog racing, and it has started to generate income. When the Beijing Municipal Government starts to crack down on dog racing, Chen Wei agrees to Zheng's idea to eat the dog at their family gathering. Though this prospect upsets Li Yan, Chen Wei is unable to speak out against Zheng, for he lacks conviction. The couple and their daughter travel out to the country to meet with Chen Wei's family and enjoy a feast, of which the dog is to be the main course. Li Yan is put off by the family, as well as their circumstances. She compares their form of life to the type she is accustomed to in Beijing. When Zheng and Chen Wei are about to slay the dog, Li Yan steps out to stop them. This causes the men of the family to go silent, while the women snicker at her foolishness. Chen Wei finally backs Li Yan up and slaps Zheng. As a result, Li Yan is challenged to run to the market to find something else for the main course. At the market, Li Yan must dole out almost an entire week's paycheck to acquire fish as a replacement, and she hurries back to prepare them in a manner that would silence any misgivings about the conflict she caused. When she finishes, the fish is cooked poorly, and to save face in front of his family, Chen Wei instead takes all of the fish and feeds it to the dog. He claims that Li Yan had intended to prepare a meal for the dog.