It is the early 1990s in China and a western city boy named Xiao Lei has just graduated from primary school. Finally, it is time for long-awaited summer holiday without any homework. However, what was to be his sunny carefree summer coincides with a defining moment of political change. With sweeping reforms to transform the country into a market economy, many people lose their supposedly secure life-long jobs – colloquially known as ‘iron rice bowls’ – and an entire generation including Xiao Lei’s family are forced to make difficult choices. Executive Producer Pema Tseden previously won the 2015 APSA for Best Children’s Feature for River, and cinematographer Lyu Songye also won a 2015 APSA for his work on Tharlo and is nominated again in 2017 for Ghost in the Mountains.