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Introduction
Luo and the narrator are introduced to the story in Phoenix Mountain where the peasants think the violin is a toy. -
Flashback
The story goes into a flashback explaining why the boys are being re-educated and how their parents became enemies of state. It also introduces Mao's regime. -
Story Telling
Luo and the narrator came back from watching a movie in Yong Jing and they tell the whole story to the village with Luo as the leader. The headman and peasants were impressed so they made the boys do it again. -
Depression
The narrator and Luo are depressed of the weather and work. They also fear of being 1 in 3 thousand especially, Luo who has no artistic outlet to increase his chance of leaving. -
The Tailor
Luo and the narrator met the tailor on their way to Four-Eyes' place. They see him as a person with high status because he is being carried. They all joke about the "Wyolin". -
The Little Seamstress
The Little Seamstress is introduced to the story when Luo had to get his pants leghtened. She starts off as bold and innocent with little reading and writing skills. Luo does not like her at first because she is too uncivilized. -
Malaria
The narrator and Luo were sent to the coal mines to work. The environment of the place is very dark with nightmares haunting the narrator. After a while Luo gets very sick because of malaria. -
The Remedy
The boys were excused because of Luo's sickness to go back to the village. They get help from the Little Seamstress who calls 4 sorceress. As they get sleepy the narrator tells them a story, although not as good as Luo it worked. Luo and the little seamstress' relationship starts to bloom -
The Suitcase
Upon visiting Four-Eyes, the narrator and Luo find and suspicious suitcase ans asked Four-Eyes about it. He kept ignoring the question until the the boys concluded that it was books that were inside. -
Exchange
Four-Eyes gets his glasses broken by a buffalo and the boys decides to help him carry 50lbs of rice to the rice station in exchange for a book. Four-Eyes agrees and gives them Balzacs' book that was translated by Fie Lu. It changes the boys' lives forever. -
Re-education
After reading the stories, Luo decides to tell it to the Little Seamstress in an attempt to re-educate her to be more civilized. -
The plan
Four-Eyes gets the news that he could leave the mountain if he gets folk songs from the old miller. He then fails, but the narrator and Luo with the help of the little seamstress making them a Mao's jacket tries to help For-Eyes in exchange for more books. They then succeed but, Four-Eyes gets furious because it was smutty. He then changes it to become propaganda offending the narrator and Luo. In the end it severed ties with the boys and Four-Eyes -
Robbery
In the midst of Four-Eyes' celebration of getting out of the village, the narrator and Luo decides to steal the books from Four-Eyes' they make a key out of a nail and almost get caught, in the end however they successfully take the books and decide to read them and Luo continues to re-educate the little seamstress. The book then changes the narrator to become a better writer -
The influence and The Headman
The tailor came to sleep over with Luo and the narrator because of their storytelling skills. In exchange they also learned about feminine company. The narrator gets better at storytelling as Luo compliments him. It affects the Tailor so much he started putting anchors in the dresses he makes. However, the headman hears all of this and threatens them if they do not fix his teeth. The narrator becomes more sadistic and bold. -
Other Narrators
The book introduces other perspectives such as the old miller seeing the little seamstress and Luo coupling in a lake. It also shows the little seamstress' and Luo's perspective during the event. The little seamstress begins to change drastically liking acting and the city more and more while Luo becomes comfortable with the village lifestyle. -
Agent
Luo gets a letter from his parents, telling him his mother is ill. The headman grants him permission to for 2 months. Luo then entrust the narrator as being the bodyguard of the little seamstress because he has many suitors. He then goes on his days being a guard and helping the little seamstress on her chores. -
The News
After a while of bodyguard duties, the little seamstress tells the narrator that she is pregnant. They are shocked and both crying because it is illegal to marry before the age of twenty-five. The narrator then goes to Yong Jing to check on the gynecologist. HE then stumbles upon the preacher who is in his deathbed and discovers his story. -
The Gynecologist
The narrator meets the doctor and talks to him. The doctor coincidentally knows his father. The narrator then ask the doctor for him to perform abortion on the little seamstress in exchange for a book called Ursule Mirouet. The narrator cries because he has someone who he can relate to. After the service is done the narrator and the little seamstress visits the grave of the preacher. -
Farewell
After a while, the little seamstress drastically changes her appearance from wearing white tennis shoes, city dresses and also having a bob cut with a city accent. Later the tailor comes and tells the boys that the little seamstress left. They chase after her in fear of her dying in the middle of the way.. However, the find her and tried to stop her, but she took off.
