Set against the backdrop of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the film tells a poignant cross-border love story through the ballet romance of its two protagonists amid the flames of war. It exposes the brutality, hypocrisy, stubbornness, and betrayal associated with Japanese militarism, while highlighting the solidarity and shared struggle between Chinese and Soviet soldiers and civilians in their joint resistance against fascist aggression.

On September 12, 1945—twenty-eight days after Japan announced its surrender—more than 300 Japanese soldiers hiding in the forests of a border town in Heilongjiang refused to lay down their arms. They launched a brutal attack on local villagers and the Soviet Red Army. In response, forces of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army joined with Soviet troops to eliminate the remaining Japanese forces.

Because this battle took place after the official surrender, it is remembered as the “last battle” fought on China’s “black soil” during the war.