Yu Shui, 16 at the time of filming, is the eldest of three children in the Yu family, subsistence farmers who live along the Yangtze River, near Fengdu, the so-called Ghost City. As the Three Gorges Dam nears completion, the Yus' home and livelihood will be submerged. Having already been displaced once, they are facing yet another forced move.
As they struggle to make a living on the shore, an apocalyptic tourist industry flourishes along the river in the form of the Farewell Cruises, luxury boats offering tourists a glimpse of a legendary landscape before it disappears. In need of extra income, her impoverished family is considering sending Yu Shui to work on the boats. She herself would prefer to continue her education, but circumstances beyond her control will intervene to shape her future.
In contrast to Yu Shui, Chen Bo Yu is from a middle-class urban background. He was raised by his grandparents in the town of Kai Xian, near the Yangtze. As an only child, Chen Bo Yu is typical of an over-indulged generation of young men, "the little emperors" who have come of age since the implementation of China's one-child-only policy. Proficient in English, good-looking and confident, he fits the needs of the cruise boat managers, who rename him Jerry for the benefit of their largely Western clientele. Although Chen Bo Yu's family is among those being displaced by the final phase of flooding, Chen Bo Yu, at 19, is embracing with gusto the opportunities offered by a changing China.