The tale of Warm Summer is set in Meigu, a small town in the suburbs of Tianjin. It has taken place over the past two years during the national poverty alleviation project. The story centres around two villages within the town: Dongjinwang Village and Xijinwang Village. These villages were once one family and had a strong bond, but they are now separated by a river and face many barriers. One village is wealthier and more culturally
strong, while the other is poorer and relatively weak. The heads of the villages, Zhang Shaoshan and Jin Yongnian, are similar in age and were once brothers in their generation. However, their relationship is now delicate and they only exchange a few words at the town government’s poverty alleviation mobilisation meeting. Zhang Shaoshan of Dongjinwang Village, unable to tolerate the other’s ridicule, vows to change the face of poverty in his village within two years. The story follows Zhang Shaoshan’s efforts to alleviate poverty step by step.