Wang Shuangli is Deputy Director of the local Cultural Centre, and hopes to be appointed Director. However Old Ma is brought in from the country and installed as Director. This starts a long train of events with Wang's cronies using the bureaucracy to try to oust the new director.
Writer Gao moves into a new apartment neighboring rude Zhang and his wife. The Zhangs have already forced four neighbor families to leave for different disputes. Now they are clashing with cadre Liu because of a dog issue.
