Written by Zou Jingzhi, the film tells the story of Gouichi Takata (Takakura), an aged Japanese father who, ever since his wife died, has not been in good terms with his son. When he learns that his son has been diagnosed as having liver cancer, he decides to travel to Yunnan province in China in his son's place to film "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles", a traditional item in the local "nuo" opera (), of which his son is a leading scholar. The father hopes that by doing so, he might finally gain the forgiveness of his son.