Hak-ming heads the Ko Family, but he and his brothers, Hak-ting and Hak-on, and the second wife of the late Master Ko quarrel. Young Cousin Mui, who has tuberculosis, is forced by to marry an older woman. Kok-sun is guilty of being unable to stop the marriage. Sun and maid Chui-wan are wary of their feelings for each other due to class difference. Cousin Mui dies of illness. Hak-ting has his eyes on Wan. His wife, Wong, complains to their daughter, Shuk-ching, who cannot take it and commits suicide. Wong blames herself for her death. Undergone these tragedies, Cousin Kam's mother let Kam have a modern wedding with Kok-man. When Ming is ill, Ting and On want to sell the ancestral home. Hak-ming dies of angst. When the fifth uncle of Sun forces Wan to be his concubine, Wan tries to kill herself but is intercepted by Sun. Pressurised by people of the house over the issue of inheritance, Sun protests by declaring his love for Wan and leaves the family, with his mother, brother Man and Wan.
After seeing a friend of his boss' son adopted over his promised promotion with connections, Shrimp's father, a minor white-collar worker Ng Kwun-sing, vows to get Shrimp a place in a prestigious school and a chance to make friends with the rich. However, Shrimpy is constantly bullied and discriminated against by his classmates. Ng has not the means to be a social climber and finally realises his mistake. He sends his son to a voluntary school so that he may grow up happily. This poignant father-son drama shows a parents' willingness to carve out a good future for their children by any means necessary.