Villager Li Dehou digs out a twenty-year-old eight-hundred-yuan IOU from Zhao Laosan, and his wife Zhang Qiaoyun goes to Zhao Laosan's daughter Zhao Xiaohe to demand the debt, leading to an endless dispute between both sides. Li Dehou finds out that the back of the IOU states the debt has been cleared, concluding that the debt is settled, and publicly tears up the IOU, causing the couple to separate. Later, when Zhao Xiaohe tidies up her belongings, she finds her father's suicide note or last will, and the truth comes to light: Zhao Laosan was unable to repay the debt, and writing it was to prevent the Li couple from quarreling, passing away before he could return the money. The two families clear up the misunderstanding, Zhang Qiaoyun softens and reconciles, and Li Dehou also moves back home. Zhao Xiaohe insists on gathering money to repay the debt for her father, but the Li family refuses to accept it, treating the money as her dowry. The two families finally gather for a meal and let go of their grievances.