The vast and snowy landscapes of northern China form the striking backdrop to the story of Shu, whose name translates to 'tree' in Mandarin, a clownish mechanic who resides in a small mining village in the province of Jilin. Shu has a reputation as a slacker, a drunk and a danger to himself and others. He blinds himself temporarily while welding. He meets a fetching mute named Xiaomei who works at a massage parlor and decides to marry her, but this too falls apart. Meanwhile, Shu's village seems as doomed as he is. The film opens on a van saddled with loudspeakers, which roams the village offering consumer goods as bribes to townsfolk in the hope that they'll willingly uproot themselves to make way for modern property developments. As with so many rural places in China, a way of life is vanishing under the wheels of progress. Teased by hallucinations and haunted by tragic events from his past...