Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

Two pairs of father and son, estrangement and alienation, communication and understanding, are all played out in their lives. His son Kenichi (played by Nakai Kiichi) is critically ill, but he refuses the final communication with his father because of his bad relationship with his father. In order to fulfill his son's wishes, his father Takada (played by Takakura Ken) rushed from Japan to Yunnan to film the Nuo opera "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" sung by Li Jiamin. After traveling thousands of miles and finally arriving in Yunnan, Gao Tian struggled to communicate with the local residents and learned that Li Jiamin had committed a crime and was imprisoned. It turns out that Li Jiamin also had a sad past with his son, and was convicted for it. Takada went through great pains to find Li Jiamin in prison and asked him to sing. Unexpectedly, after Li Jiamin heard the story of Takada and his son, he also thought of the illegitimate son he had abandoned. Halfway through the play, he burst into tears. Takada decided to go back to find his son to visit the prison. The two talked and took care of each other on the way and had a deep relationship. However, the emotional ice between his son and Li Jiamin could not be broken. Just as Li Jiamin was singing again, Takada received a call and found out that his son had died with a smile on his face and he had forgiven himself.