Chen Shaochang (Shi Hui), a primary school principal widowed at a young age, raises his children alone. His close friend's daughter, Liu Minhua (Zhu Jiachen), whom he hasn't seen for many years, begins working at the primary school through his introduction. Chen Shaochang's son, Jianzhong (Han Fei), and daughter-in-law, Feng Lijun (Li Huanqing), consider Chen's job undignified. After retiring, he is filled with melancholy, understood only by Minhua. Although their relationship deepens, they must contend with the ethical and social norms of Republican-era Shanghai.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Shi HuiNot listed | Not listed |
 Han FeiNot listed | Not listed |
 Huanqing LiNot listed | Not listed |
 Zhu JiachenNot listed | Not listed |
 Shen YangNot listed | Not listed |
 Cui ChaomingNot listed | Not listed |
 Cheng ZhiNot listed | Not listed |
 Lu ShanNot listed | Not listed |
 Mo ChouNot listed | Not listed |
| MMuru GuNot listed | Not listed |
 Delong HuNot listed | Not listed |
| XXiaoqin HuNot listed | Not listed |
| HHao LiNot listed | Not listed |
| ZZhen LinNot listed | Not listed |
| LLiu XiaohuNot listed | Not listed |
| FFei MaNot listed | Not listed |
| QQian ChucaiNot listed | Not listed |
| KKai TianNot listed | Not listed |
 Tian ZhendongNot listed | Not listed |
| WWan'en WangNot listed | Not listed |
| XXu Wei-JieNot listed | Not listed |
| SSicheng YaoNot listed | Not listed |
| MMing YeNot listed | Not listed |
| SSilan YiNot listed | Not listed |
| FFuying YuNot listed | Not listed |
 Yu ZhongyingNot listed | Not listed |
| ZZhou RuideNot listed | Not listed |