The story is that of Chow and Li-Zhen. They live, along with their respective spouses, in neighboring apartments. As the story unfolds, they realize their spouses are having an affair. They turn to each other for solace and eventually collaborate on a "Martial Arts Serial" for Chow's newspaper, but Li-Zhen's respect for marriage, and her desire that the two main characters "not be like them" (the adulterers) leave them to set aside the physical aspects of their romance.

The film creates tension in what it doesn't show; you never see the spouses, and there's an undercurrent of uncertainty weaved through out the entire movie, from when the two have to hide in Chow's room while their bothersome neighbors play an all night Mah-Jongg game to when they roleplay Li-Zhen confronting her husband on his infidelity. Compounding this, however, is some possible problems with what has been lost in translation: some user comments at the film's IMDB listing seem to indicate that Cantonese speaking audiences may have a different understanding of the final result of Chow and Li-Zhen's relationship than those of us who were relying on the subtitles. What the film does show us, however, is both sublime and mundane; quite a feat.

In all, this is a wonderful quiet film, though unless you're used to arthouse films it may seem to drag in parts. It is worth tracking down, a rewarding experience if you can give it the attention it deserves.