SUN, MOON AND STAR

Adapted from the novel "Sun, Moon & Star" by Hsu Su

(Synopsis)

Before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war in a little village in Central China where tranquillity and contentment reign live a pair of young lovers called Chu Lan (Lucilla Yu Ming) and Hsu Chien-pai (Chang Yang). However, as Hsu's father is against Chu Lan for being just a poor orphan and his mother has eyes on her own brother's daughter, Ma Chiu-ming (Grace Chang), for a daughter-in-law, Chien-pai can only meet Chu Lan in secret.

Home from school for the spring recess, Chien-pai is caught one night keeping rendezvous with Chu Lan. Words to this effect soon reach the parents of a soldier in a neighbouring village to whom Chu Lan is engaged against her wish. The engagement is quickly broken off.

Chien-pai is ordered back to school, in which Chiu-ming is also a student. One night he is taken ill. Chiu-ming brings him home and nurses him to recovery. As soon as Chu Lan hears of this, she writes to him pretending that she has found a new love in order to make Chien-pai forget her. This he does, but not for long. Returning to the village to attend his grand­mother's funeral, he meets Chu Lan and begs her to elope with him. But before they can do so, Chiu-ming befriends Chu Lan and talks her out of it.

Frustrated, Chien-pai sets out alone for the North to study. There he meets and finds a new companion in Su Ya-nan (Julie Yeh Fung), who gives him encouragement and intellectual comradeship.

At this stage in the story the Marco Polo Bridge incident sparks off China's war of resistance against Japan. Out of her love for her country Ya-nan joins the Army; out of his love for Ya-nan, Chien-pai follows her.

Meanwhile, Chu Lan who has been studying nursing with Chiu-ming's financial help, joins the Nursing Corps. One day, at a hospital near the front, she runs into a seriously wounded Chien-pai and, through him, comes to know of Ya-nan’s existence. After nursing him out of danger, she leaves for home owing to failing health.

Then Chiu-ming visits the front as a singer to entertain the soldiers. On learning of Chien-pai's new love, she leaves with a broken heart.

After victory, Chu Lan's illness takes a turn for the worse. Both Chiu- ming and Ya-nan come from afar to visit her.

By the time Chien-pai comes home, Chu Lan's grave has already overgrown with grass. He goes to Hongkong to look up Ya-nan, who, having lost one leg in the war, refuses to marry him and flies to her home land in the South, leaving with him Chiu-ming's address.

The address turns out to be that of a convent. Chiu-ming has already taken the vow to become a nun and seems not to recognize him.

Ten years of conflict and turmoil has wrought great change, and Hsu Chien-pai comes to realise only through his memories that true love remains as constant as the sun, moon and star.