Set in the National Ballet of China, this is the story of a great dancer who is constantly overlooked in favor of his rival and ex-friend. The dancer struggles to produce something original for the arrival of a European ballet director, an opportunity that, after years of being overlooked, is treated as an urgent and decisive moment in his life. For the life of a dancer is very short, and if successful, like a flame that burns brightly and all too fast. The film is a hybrid of fictional relationships and characters, staged scenes and documentary footage.