The scene opens with a conversation between a young man and his mother. The mother tells the young man that his father has just resigned from his position as a literature student. The young man, who is called "Yin sheng" , explains that he is a student of his father's and that his mother has come to visit him. He tells his mother that he feels that he can do something he has not done before, and that he admires his father very much. His mother tells him that he should not be so nervous, as his father used to change his lovers very frequently. She also tells him not to be too naive, as her son used to do the same thing. She tells him to go for it, and not to blame himself for what he has done.