Late Winter. A serene waterfront town nestled in the southern region of the Yangtze River in China. After his mother's untimely death and his father's remarriage, 8-year-old Xuan has to live with his grandfather, Jianguo (65), who operates a small urn shop. Determined to gather enough funds for a ticket to Shanghai, where his father resides, Xuan embarks on crafting and selling handmade airplane models.
While residing at the shop, Xuan encounters Ms. Zheng (48), who wants to purchase two identical urns. Jianguo informs her that only one remains. In the days that follow, Ms. Zheng returns, striking a secret deal with Xuan and promising to assist him in creating an aircraft model. On her third visit to the urn shop, Xuan sells the matching urn to her.
The following day, Jianguo discovers that the urn has been sold to Ms. Zheng. He questions Xuan about the subtext of selling a second identical urn, leaving the young boy so astounded that he rushes out of the shop in search of Ms. Zheng.