With inspiration from Pearl Buck, the film asks the question why the Chinese civilization outlasted Greece and Rome. It posits an answer: veneration of the land, the "good earth," as exemplified in annual village tributes to Shennong, the god of agriculture. We visit one such festival as farm families pour into town to eat and celebrate. An essential part of the day is a theater production: we watch stylized players, stage managers dressed in black, and simple props tell a story of patriotism, death, and a widow's plan at Rainbow Pass. For our benefit, the players speak English.