Li Cunixin (Chengwu Guo), a young boy, finds himself drafted without choice by Mao cultural advisors and turned into a potential ballet dancer. Sent from his family to train in Beijing, he grows up without much personal freedom, but during a cultural exchange with the United States, the adult Li (Chi Cao) finds himself in Houston with the ballet company under the aegis of Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood) who is more than willing to help Li defect. The dancer makes a hasty marriage to an American Elizabeth Mackey (Amanda Schull), but the Chinese Communists try to kidnap him and return their prize to China.