故事围绕三个孤独的男人——王海励、方毅国、参尘展开描述，讲述了性格迥异的他们，各自经历欲望考验，踏上事关信仰的赎罪之旅，为自己寻找一个心安归处的故事。

故事围绕三个孤独的男人——王海励、方毅国、参尘展开描述，讲述了性格迥异的他们，各自经历欲望考验，踏上事关信仰的赎罪之旅，为自己寻找一个心安归处的故事。

年轻的陈秋水（陈坤 饰）为少女王碧云（徐若瑄 饰）的弟弟雨萌当家庭教师，他清朗潇洒，有一套快乐的学习方法，两人一起唱歌学英文，简单快乐，很快就堕入爱河。然而陈秋水是左翼人士，为避难必须逃往大陆。虽然似乎是短暂的离别，但秋水离去前仍与王碧云私定终生，发誓矢志不渝。 　　但离别似乎很漫长 。秋水甚至与台湾失去了联络，但等待和思念仍埋在他的心中。部队护士王金娣（李冰冰 饰）对他坦言爱意，并展开追求。战争结束后，王金娣跟随秋水调至西藏，一路照顾无微不至。秋水亦多次寻碧云未果，决定把旧情藏于心底，不辜负决心随他的王金娣，二人成婚，但命运的嘲弄却在不远处。 　　秋水不知道，身在台湾的王碧云，终身未嫁，一生都在等待。

年轻的陈秋水（陈坤 饰）为少女王碧云（徐若瑄 饰）的弟弟雨萌当家庭教师，他清朗潇洒，有一套快乐的学习方法，两人一起唱歌学英文，简单快乐，很快就堕入爱河。然而陈秋水是左翼人士，为避难必须逃往大陆。虽然似乎是短暂的离别，但秋水离去前仍与王碧云私定终生，发誓矢志不渝。 　　但离别似乎很漫长 。秋水甚至与台湾失去了联络，但等待和思念仍埋在他的心中。部队护士王金娣（李冰冰 饰）对他坦言爱意，并展开追求。战争结束后，王金娣跟随秋水调至西藏，一路照顾无微不至。秋水亦多次寻碧云未果，决定把旧情藏于心底，不辜负决心随他的王金娣，二人成婚，但命运的嘲弄却在不远处。 　　秋水不知道，身在台湾的王碧云，终身未嫁，一生都在等待。

1932年，“一二八事变”爆发，中日签订《上海停战协定》。上海爱国民族资本家云在天深感中日之间必将大战，于是暗中变卖家产，筹得一批黄金，想要送到抗…

1932年，一•二八事变爆发，驻守上海的十九路军联合当地百姓英勇抵抗，成功迟滞了日本侵略者的扩张。最终，中日双方签订《上海（淞沪）停战协定》，战事暂息。爱国民族资本家云在天（王庆祥 饰）敏锐察觉到战争远未结束，他毅然变卖家产，筹得大量黄金，决心将其交给坚决抗日的中国共产党。然而，这一计划被日本情报机关获悉，云在天夫妇不幸遇害。为了实现父亲的遗愿，长子云飞岳（徐洪浩 饰）不惧日军迫害，踏上了护送黄金的艰难旅程。他的弟弟云飞川（赵荀 饰）是一名中共党员。背负着家仇国恨的兄弟二人，携手在抗日的征程中披荆斩棘，奋勇前行……

"A PhD Candidate" is a film about a Chinese PhD student living in America. He is sponsored by Chinese government. The government pays him some money every month for living expenses. In exchange he has to return to China right after graduation. After coming here, he found he still lives in a small circle of Chinese people isolated from the American society. His professor and peers are also from China. The environment makes him doesn’t have many chances to communicate with American people. And most importantly, he doesn’t think it is necessary to get integrated with the American social life. Since he knows he will not stay in here. He feels it is more comfortable to live in a closed environment. 　　The above is what interested me at the beginning. I intended to make this film of his life to see how this unusual identity influenced him. Along with the process of filming, I realized I was involving in a new form of transnational academic life. In American academia today there are many Chinese PhDs . The full scholarship or funding provided by Chinese government covered their tuition and living expenses. A PhD for them is more like a job, rather than studying. Also their relation with professors is similar to a kind of employment. So the film is not only about the identity of a foreigner, but also about a kind of academic labor outsourcing. Through watching the film the audience may find how it is like in the lower level of the academic pyramid.

南头古城，遥远的星火和现在的尘烟幽默碰撞。 　　城中村小诊所里，一个焦虑的男人和一个忧伤的男人在打点滴，从陌生人的简单关切中，建立起临时的友谊。 　　焦虑男人还要输一整瓶，忧伤男人的吊水即将结束。突然，焦虑男人遇到紧急的事要去处理，古城里，两个人举着吊瓶游走……

南头古城，遥远的星火和现在的尘烟幽默碰撞。 　　城中村小诊所里，一个焦虑的男人和一个忧伤的男人在打点滴，从陌生人的简单关切中，建立起临时的友谊。 　　焦虑男人还要输一整瓶，忧伤男人的吊水即将结束。突然，焦虑男人遇到紧急的事要去处理，古城里，两个人举着吊瓶游走……

"A PhD Candidate" is a film about a Chinese PhD student living in America. He is sponsored by Chinese government. The government pays him some money every month for living expenses. In exchange he has to return to China right after graduation. After coming here, he found he still lives in a small circle of Chinese people isolated from the American society. His professor and peers are also from China. The environment makes him doesn’t have many chances to communicate with American people. And most importantly, he doesn’t think it is necessary to get integrated with the American social life. Since he knows he will not stay in here. He feels it is more comfortable to live in a closed environment. 　　The above is what interested me at the beginning. I intended to make this film of his life to see how this unusual identity influenced him. Along with the process of filming, I realized I was involving in a new form of transnational academic life. In American academia today there are many Chinese PhDs . The full scholarship or funding provided by Chinese government covered their tuition and living expenses. A PhD for them is more like a job, rather than studying. Also their relation with professors is similar to a kind of employment. So the film is not only about the identity of a foreigner, but also about a kind of academic labor outsourcing. Through watching the film the audience may find how it is like in the lower level of the academic pyramid.