Overnight, eleven craftsmen leave veteran carpenter Lu Jiancheng's small factory after He Minghui poaches them with high salaries and profit sharing. With only nine workers and an old saw, Lu still rejects a truckload of damp lumber. Across the way, machines roar in the rival workshop, while orders keep pouring into Lu's hands. But wood never lies about its moisture. On the first day of school, more than a thousand children will need seats in their classrooms.