Based on the novel Aftershock by Zhang Ling, the film follows a family who became victims in the Tangshan earthquake. The father, Fang Daqiang, was crushed while trying to rescue his children, Fang Deng and Fang Da, who were trapped in the house. Unable to save both kids, the mother, Li Yuanni, is forced to sacrifice Fang Deng for her feeble younger brother Fang Da, a decision that proved agonizing for the entire family.