After her old rural home is demolished, Zhang Guilan receives compensation and heads to the city to live with her two sons. Her eldest son, Zhou Jianjun, and his wife, Liu Hong, consider her a burden. They make her sleep on the sofa, demand rent, and treat her like a housekeeper. Her second son, Zhou Jianye, won't even let her through the door. Heartbroken, Zhang Guilan uses her demolition compensation to buy herself a home. When her sons learn about the money, they come demanding a share, but she refuses. The two brothers then join hands, mortgage their homes, and invest in a scheme that leaves them completely broke. They return to pressure their mother into bailing them out, but she refuses again. Their wives leave them, and the bank eventually repossesses their homes.