In Communist China, a young girl named Xiaohong is told by her mother to bring a pair of pork buns to her grandmother, Lin Popo, who is suffering of pneumonia and likely on her deathbed. Popo has been all alone ever since her husband died (he was identified as a counterrevolutionary). In her youth, Popo was a famous actress esteemed for her beauty. Xiaohong loves her grandmother dearly and endeavors to bring the pork buns to her, despite her own hunger. On her way to her grandmothers house, Xiaohong is stopped by Wu Lang, a young boy who went to school with Xiaohong and has now joined the Red Guard. He interrogates her about her intentions, and she responds that she is delivering food to the house of her grandmother. Wu Lang reaches into Xiaohong's basket and consumes her grandmother's food; then, he declares that he will beat Xiaohong to her grandmother's house. He speeds away on his motorcycle, leaving Xiaohong in the dust. At Popo's house, Wu Lang searches for any contraband that would condemn Popo as an enemy of the revolution. Beneath her bed, he finds a Buddhist volume. From the volume slips a picture of Popo in her days as an actress. Angered by the image, he sets it on fire and slices Popo's throat. When Xiaohong reaches her grandmother's house, she smells something delicious. Wu Lang is cooking and invites her to sit down. She inquires where her grandmother is, but he replies that she must eat first. She eats some of the meat and broth that he is making and finds it to be absolutely delicious. After she has consumed some of it, she realizes that Wu Lang murdered Popo and has made her into a meal. Instead of being dismayed, Xiaohong continues to consume her grandmother's delicious remains, finding herself growing stronger as her grandmother courses through her body. Once she has finished, she rises and grabs a scythe. She and Wu Lang fight, which results in Xiaohong cutting off Wu Lang's hand. As the hand drops, Xiaohong sees that his hand was that of a wolf. Wu Lang flees, and Xiaohong turns back to the house. In the fireplace, she sees the photograph of her grandmother, unburned and smiling at her.