After being married for seven years, Xu Lang, a white collar office manager, has started to get tired of the same routine in his marriage. After asking his wife for a divorce, he is given a magical cell phone by an angel. The cell phone allows him to have romantic encounters with different women. After various dates and courtships with 12 beautiful women, he still cannot meet the right one. He attempts to mend things over with his wife, only to find that his ex-wife has met another man and found happiness. The movie ends with Xu meeting his old love interest from 15 years ago, suggesting a new relationship between them.

The film takes place during work on the water reservoir, outside Beijing's Ming Tombs, in 1958 at the beginning of the Great Leap Forward. The film follows how workers and leaders are working together to get it done. The film's final 25 minutes is a future interpretation of how it will look like 20 years after it has been completed with the water reservoir.

The People on the Grassland is one of the earliest “minority nationality films” produced in the PRC. It features Mongolian herders who serve the people in the struggle against the forces of the KMT. The film was released in China in 1953 and became particularly well-known for its songs and theme-music.