China in the 1920s. After her father's death, nineteen-year-old Song Lian is forced to marry Chen Zuo Qian, the lord of a powerful family. Fifty-year-old Chen already has three wives, each of them living in separate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and privilege. Each night Chen must decide with which wife to spend the night, and a red
