Wen Shan is a mediocre screenwriter, struggling to make a living in Beijing. He leads a dull life in a rapidly expanding city. By chance, he starts to write eulogies for a living. He meets the families of the deceased, observes carefully, listens to the stories and finally puts pen to paper. While he is restoring the lives of others, he finds his own place in the city and realizes that ordinary people can also take centre stage. "For me, listening is the act of letting the words of another person go through your mind and body. You must hear what they say, but also be aware of what they don't say, that is to say what they really mean. Where do the differences between what different people say about the same person come from? What is the tone of their voice? What are the little gestures of the people who are talking? Wen Shan must collect all this by listening, and what he tries to render is not the departed but the relationship between the people who are left behind." Liu Jiayin