Tuya (Yu Nan) is a stubborn and hard-working mother of two who lives with her disabled husband Bater (Bater) in the desert country of Inner Mongolia. He hurt his leg while digging a well and spends most of his time looking after their young daughter. Tuya is a shepherd who looks after a large flock astride her camel. She has to travel a great distance to get water for cooking and household chores. One day she injures her back and the doctor says she has to give her body a rest, but she knows this is impossible given her responsibilities as the matriarch of the family.
Wang Quan An directs this engaging drama which vividly conveys the difficulties of scratching out a life on the harsh environment of Inner Mongolia with its terrible winters. Survival is no simple matter for poor families isolated in the wilderness. Realizing that Tuya cannot continue working so hard, Bater volunteers to go live with his sister so she can remarry someone who can take care of her and their children. Since Tuya is quite attractive, locals appear and make their pitches to marry them. But she insists that she will only marry the one willing to let Bader continue living with them.
One of her suitors turns out to be Baolier, a former classmate who is now a wealthy oil businessman used to living in the city. However, he makes a misstep by depositing Bader in a nursing home; this leads to trouble and an exposure of his unethical behavior. It takes Tuya a long time to see that the best suitor is Senge, a kind but clumsy neighbor whose wife has run out on him. He volunteers to build a new well for her as a pledge of his love.
It is very satisfying to see such a strong and resilient woman as the central character in a feature film. She has her setbacks and disappointments but is willing to do almost anything to preserve family and her way of life.
