Zhou Kun is focused on cultivation while Li Jiao Ran is focused on getting rid of evil. They are childhood friends who have been quarrelling with each other since young but a mysterious murder case brings them together. Zhou Kun is moved by Li Jiao Ran as she risks her life to investigate the case. Both of them rush to Youming Town to discover the truth behind the murder case.

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?