在中国小镇上生活的一户普通家庭中，一位七岁的小女孩梅梅（赫小哈饰）尤为特别，在她眼里书本上的文字只是一个个图案，难以正常地进行书写和学习。
在外教老师托马斯（乔治·克里斯托弗饰）的提醒下，年轻的母亲陈兰（朱珠饰）意识到梅梅可能和自己一样有读写障碍。为了梅梅的未来，本身对语言学习也有很大障碍的陈兰毅然告别丈夫老陈（李雅男饰），独自一人带着梅梅来到美国。
在女作家海伦（艾米·欧文饰）的帮助下陈兰带着梅梅开始了漫长的学习和矫正过程，却发现梅梅在其他方面竟然天赋异禀……

Beijing, 1902: an enterprising young portrait photographer named Liu Jinglun, keen on new technology, befriends a newly-arrived Englishman who's brought projector, camera, and Lumière-brothers' shorts to open the Shadow Magic theater. Liu's work with Wallace brings him conflict with tradition and his father's authority, complicated by his falling in love with Ling, daughter of Lord Tan, star of Beijing's traditional opera. Liu sees movies as his chance to become wealthy and worthy of Ling. When the Shadow Magic pair are invited to show the films to the Empress Dowager, things look good. But, is disaster in the script? And, can movies preserve tradition even as they bring change?