Two boys, Dieyi and Xiaolou, endure rigorous Peking Opera training before rising to fame as performers of the iconic tragedy Farewell My Concubine. For Dieyi, the boundaries between stage and reality begin to blur as he falls in love with Xiaolou. Their bond is tested when Xiaolou marries Juxian, a former courtesan. Spanning fifty years, their lives and art are violently disrupted by historical upheavals—from the Japanese occupation to the Cultural Revolution—forcing heartbreaking betrayals as they struggle to survive a changing China.