Chongqing, 1997. Pretty Dong Jiujiu, 18, is a quiet student at No. 18 High School who idolises Cantonese singers from Hong Kong and secretly dreams of becoming a pop star herself. She lives alone with her conservative mother, who is still grieving over the recent death of her husband in a car accident; she opposes her daughter having any kind of fun and urges her to study hard for the forthcoming college entrance exam. At school Jiujiu's best friend is the outgoing Han Xia, who is always pushing her to be more daring. Han Xia herself also has a secret admirer in the geeky Zhou Yunkai. The two girls hang out with a group of four boys at the same school: Xia Jinghan, who comes from a broken family and lives with his grandmother; his childhood friend Luo Fan, whose parents are also divorced but whose background is wealthier; tubby, apparently cowardly Zuoqiang, nicknamed "Wet Crotch"; and tall, athletic Li Wei, a straightforward guy. One evening, while the group is celebrating at a karaoke club after a street brawl, a fire breaks out in Jiujiu's flat due to a pot left on the stove, and her mother becomes distraught. Following a mass fight with the students of another school, Jinghan is expelled and the other three boys get an official warning. Jiujiu, who developed a liking for Jinghan, is upset. When a singing competition is announced, Luo Fan presses Jinghan, who's now working in a restaurant to support himself and his grandmother, to take part. As the college entrance exam approaches, Luo Fan also urges Jiujiu to take part, to encourage Jinghan. Jiujiu keeps her decision secret from her mother, but private jealousies are already threatening to split up the group