Hoping to mend a deep rift with his dying son, steely Japanese fisherman Gouichi Takada (Ken Takakura) sets off for a remote province in China to fulfill his son's dream in this gentle drama helmed by Yimou Zhang. Despite the obstacles in Takada's path -- including a language barrier and government red tape -- he's determined to complete his son's unfinished documentary by filming a jailed Chinese folk-opera star performing a classic ballad.