The draught had been going on for three months already on the Loess Plateau. Village girl KAR Chun-fun knelt beside a parched well and prayed for rain. Up on the hills, at the YIMs, SUNG Tung-sing and his mistress MAU SIU-CHEUK were being punished by the elders and brethrens of the YIMs and the SUNGs for committing adultery. They were put to suffer the cruelest punishment, the Penalty of Torching. SING defended his innocence and angered YIM MAN-HEI, the Superintendent of the YIMs. While poor CHEUK was scorched to death, SING, badly burnt, was saved by the sudden but timely rain. FUN came across SING when she was carrying water back home. Despite the rain, she helped him pick up the remains of CHEUK at the punishment site. When FUN arrived home, she was shocked to learn that her fiancee had called off their engagement – she was even more shocked to know that her fiancee turned out to be SING! Two years have gone by.… ...
