Douzi, a boy with feminine features, is abandoned by his prostitute mother to an all-boys Peking opera troupe supervised by Master Guan. Douzi befriends fellow trouper Shitou.

A few years later in 1938, a teenage Douzi is trained to play dan (female roles), while Shitou learns jing (painted face male roles). When practicing the play "Dreaming of the World Outside the Nunnery", Douzi intentionally mistakes the line "I am by nature a girl, not a boy" with "I am by nature a boy, not a girl," subjecting himself to severe physical punishments. Douzi along with another student, Laizi, attempt to run away, but Douzi decides to pursue acting seriously after witnessing an opera performance. Upon returning, they find the whole troupe being punished for their desertion, and Douzi is beaten. As a result, Laizi hangs himself...