Memories of Nanjing in 1937

In the late autumn of 1937, to escape the turmoil of war, Chinese doctor Cheng Xian (Qin Han) fled Shanghai to his hometown in Nanjing with his pregnant Japanese wife Rieko (Saotome Ai) and their child. He had no idea that Nanjing, too, was on the verge of being reduced to ruins by the invading Japanese army. Told he could seek refuge in a safe zone protected by European and American powers, Cheng Xian ignored the offer, believing he was no longer a refugee, and instead sought refuge with an old friend, continuing his medical practice. The tragedy of his compatriots, represented by elementary school teacher Liu Tianqin (Rene Liu), shocked and angered him, but he believed his primary responsibility was not to resist the enemy but to fulfill his duties as a doctor. On December 13th of the same year, Nanjing fell to the Japanese army, which began its rampage of burning, murder, and looting. Finally realizing the Japanese army"s brutality and callousness, Cheng Xian sent his wife to the safe zone while he remained to continue treating the wounded. Unbeknownst to him, the safe zone had long since ceased to exist, and when he tried to resist, he found it impossible.