In the twelfth lunar month of 1988, at Qingshiling, a small railway station in northern China, stationmaster Sun Tiesheng earns 156 yuan a month, yet his wife, Wu Chunzhi, receives only 12 yuan in household grocery money. She has even secretly pawned her silver dowry bracelets. When his stepmother comes demanding 200 yuan for his younger brother's bride price, Wu Chunzhi finally brings out the household ledger she has meticulously kept for three years, filling 96 pages. The truth comes to light: someone has been collecting his wages on his behalf for the past three years. Just as he is about to demand an explanation, a financial shortfall is discovered at the station, and he is suspended from his post. With nothing left but a ledger and a duty log, he is determined to account for every single penny.