Zhao Dan
Set in the slums of 1935 Shanghai, the film begins with a wedding procession. Chen Shaoping, also known as Xiao Chen (Zhao Dan), is a trumpet player in the marching band who establishes a romantic connection with his neighbour, a songstress named Xiao Hong (Zhou Xuan) who fled the Japanese invasion of Manchuria with her older sister Xiao Yun (Zhao Huishen). In the midst of poverty, the two sisters are taken in by a couple that own a tea house and are subsequently made to work for them. As a way of pleasing customers, Xiao Yun is forced to become a streetwalker while Xiao Hong works as a singer.