Wu Daozi, the popular court painter of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), sensed great desperation in fear that he would not finish the last section of an ambitious mural series ordered by the emperor before the deadline.

Just as he was about to take his own life by drinking poisonous liquor, his mentor Lu Sugong paid a visit. The unexpected reunion between student and teacher after a decade unfolds into themes where desire, sacrifice, and jealousy are intertwined.