Farewell, my concubine

In 1930s China, Peking Opera is a lavish spectacle for the privileged classes, though the future actors attending its schools come from the poorest families. This is the case of Xiao Douzi, abandoned by his mother, a prostitute who cannot afford to raise him. The bitterness and misery of his childhood are gradually replaced by his dedication to his art and the relationship he develops with an older colleague, Xiao Shitou, with whom he falls in love and who becomes his protector and best companion.
Chosen to play the main female and male roles in the opera Farewell My Concubine, their real-life relationship unfolds. Amidst the great transformations sweeping their country, they and the beautiful courtesan who comes between them will live a tragic story of love, betrayal, and death.