Petite but determined Yu Hing is working as a museum research assistant when a Japanese man, Tao, inquires about a piece of Chinese calligraphy entitled "The Cold Food Observance". Yu Ching sees an opportunity here both for romance and for the healing of her friendship with an emotionally repressed pal, Dong Heng, as the artwork is the center point of a book Dong is writing. However, Dong reacts with jealousy.