Based on the homonymous novel by Pai Hsien-yung, the story takes place in Taipei in the 1970s, and follows a short period in the life of a young man called Li-Qing (李青, nicknamed A-Qing). When A-Qing is expelled from his school because of "scandalous relations" with classmate Zhao Ying (趙英), his father kicks him out of the family home. A-Qing begins to hang out at a park called New Park, a gay cruising area and hangout for gay men, where he meets the novel's other primary characters.