The film is set in Xihaigu, Ningxia—an area plagued by drought nine years out of ten. In a remote village, an elderly Muslim man loses his wife. He and his son make the decision to slaughter the old ox that has been with the family for over ten years on the anniversary of his wife’s passing, hoping to redeem the deceased. In the days that follow, the old man and his son take meticulous care of the ox, yet they also reveal their reluctance to part with it and their deep longing for the departed. Three days before the memorial, the ox catches sight of the very knife that will be used to slaughter it, reflected in the water it is about to drink. From that moment on, it refuses to eat or drink, striving to purify itself before the end. This act plunges the old man into profound contemplation about life and death.