19世纪中叶，古老的中华大地尚处于清政府统治时期。为了应对沙俄对我国的蚕食，朝廷撤销了在东北推行近两百年的封禁政策，鼓励关内百姓前往东北开垦荒地。山东人朱开山（李幼斌 饰）正是这群早期开拓者中的一员，他出关的时候清朝已然谢幕，这个早年参加义和团的鲁莽汉子，几经周折落脚关外，而他的老婆（萨日娜 饰）得知丈夫的音讯时则带着孩子们踏上寻夫之旅。正值兵荒马乱的年代，外有列强混战，内有军阀土匪，天灾人祸致令中国的老百姓颠沛流离，苦不堪言。
朱家虽然团聚，可是在这片广袤荒芜的黑土地上尚有无数艰险等在前面，而朱开山和妻子以及三个儿子，也将各自品尝着人生的苦辣酸甜……

在老北京一条胡同里，住着不显山不露水的一代书画名家启功老人（马恩然 饰），他和老伴儿（王馥荔 饰）举案齐眉，相敬如宾，过着平凡安宁的生活。只是在怒涛涌动的时代，小人物无法在暴风雨中独善其身。启功拥有旗人血统，在文革浪潮汹涌澎湃的年代给他带来不少的麻烦。红卫兵们可以长驱直入他的家中搜查封资修的物品，所幸总有倾心传统文化的人暗中相助。运动之中，启功时常回忆起自己初学绘画的情景，与师友坐而论道的往事，和老伴儿相濡以沫的过往，这些都令他感慨唏嘘。
饱受过屈辱，也历经荣光，许多事不知不觉便已看透，许多情结慢慢就学会放下，这一切都不自觉地流淌在老人的书画之中……

Peking, 1948. A winter night. A man returns home to find a letter awaiting him written by a woman before her death. in the letter she tells him the story of her love for him -a life-long passion that has not diminished over time, but one that he has never known. her story spans 18 years from the moment she -then a 13 year-old girl- sets her eyes on her new neighbor. she tells their brief but passionate love in her youthi the hardship she goes through raising their child alone, and their final encounter after the war, during which the man fails tor ecognize her and one which leaves her in despair. Now having lost her son, she no longer has the courage to live on. Only in a letter is she capable of telling him everything, for the first and the last time. shaken by the letter, the man searches his memory for the nameless woman.