Rural China, 1930s. A farmer, Wang (played by Paul Muni), is given a small plot of land by his father. Soon after he marries O-Lan (Luise Rainer) in an arranged marriage. Things go well: not only does he buy more land but he and his wife have three children. Then famine strikes the land and they are forced to move to the city, doing anything to stay alive. It looks like Wang and his family have to start all over again.—grantss