A mysterious forest in early fall echoes with birdsong and the sound of a river. Fallen leaves speckle gold on the blue stones. Two weary travellers make their way on foot – the painter Meng Huang and writer Ma Jian. When, as if after a long journey, they finally reach a cabin, they eat and drink, but the mood is not one of contentment. Their gaze is dark, haunted by memories of the China they have fled: persecution, resistance and the treatment meted out to those who fight for human rights. With the forest arousing painful thoughts and existential considerations, they talk about art. For the two artists, whose world view has been upended by the Tiananmen Square massacre, creation offers an answer to oppression and lies.

Ma Jian lives in London. He is a dissident and a prominent writer translated into numerous languages. Since 2011, he has been unable to return to China, where all of his books are banned. Meng Huang is a renowned painter who lives in Berlin.

Film is in Mandarin with English subtitles.