When her older sister, He Xiuzhen, runs away from her wedding, their parents cannot afford to return the bride price and force her younger sister, He Xiulan, to take her place as the bride. Unwilling to deceive anyone, Xiulan repeatedly tries to tell the truth, but her parents stop her at every turn. Filled with hurt and anxiety, she climbs into the donkey cart sent to fetch the bride. On her wedding night, she gathers her courage and tells her groom, Xu Zhenping, the whole truth about the substitution. She shows him the scars on her body and explains what happened to the bride price. Rather than flying into a rage, Xu Zhenping calmly considers the situation and temporarily takes in the helpless young woman who has nowhere else to go.