A widow lost her husband early and raised her daughter alone, eventually choosing an honest, dependable man as her son-in-law.
On the eve of Qingming Festival, the daughter, eager to go out and have fun with her long-time crush, forgot to turn off the kitchen stove — and the house caught fire. While her mother risked her life to save the home, the daughter stayed out all night playing mahjong with the crush, convinced her husband was merely tricking her. Heartbroken by her daughter's callousness, the mother transferred her inheritance to her son-in-law instead.
Later, the daughter's own little girl lay on her deathbed, longing for her mother to tell her a story — but the daughter had already cut off her husband, who was by the child's side. Too late, she finally woke up to the truth. She snatched a picture book from a little girl on the street, then ran frantically through the cemetery searching for her own child, wailing in despair.
Meanwhile, her husband, shattered by the loss of both his mother-in-law and his daughter, was left with nothing but bitter resentment toward the woman he had once loved.
